Dark Horse Comics’ Small Town Spirits is such a fun and endearing comic, and it’s little wonder as to why. Writer Zack Keller, artist Gabriele Bagnoli, colorist Valerio Alloro, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic have crafted a truly all-age ages comics that embraces the fun and spookiness of Halloween that is neither too foreboding or too water-downed, but engages the audience, regardless of the reader. And next month, the Small Town Spirits trade paperback is being released into the world, introducing or reintroducing Ireland’s Flanagan family as it attempts to bring honor to its name in the annual Halloween-timed Spirit Games—that is, if they can navigate an accidental release of malevolent supernatural forces.
I spoke with Zack Keller recently about the idea behind Small Town Spirits, the inspiration for the comic, his love of Ireland, and how his favorite childhood books impacted the creation of the graphic novel.
Small Town Spirits cover
FreakSugar: This was such a fun story to read! For folks considering picking up the trade paperback, what is the conceit of Small Town Spirits?
Zack Keller: It’s about this village in Ireland where people still do Halloween the old-fashioned way: an annual sporting competition to honor the Spirits.
FS: The characters really drive the book in interesting twists and turns. What can you tell us about the cast?
ZK: The book follows the family rivalry between the Flanagans and the O’Dells, except it’s not a fair fight. The O’Dells are this powerful, illustrious, athletic family while the Flanagans can never do anything right, but they’re big-hearted, well-intentioned and thoroughly lovable. Pad Flanagan, the mischief-making son who’s always searching for a good time, decides that the town sporting competition is the perfect opportunity to prove that his family are not failures, but they’re going to need some supernatural help. From feuding family members to quirky townsfolk to mythological creatures, there’s quite an ensemble cast!
Small Town Spirits page 1
FS: The idea behind the story is incredibly novel and takes competition and the supernatural down an interesting path. What was the inspiration behind the series?
ZK: Halloween is my favorite holiday, and in researching its origins I dug up fascinating history about samhain, the Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter (the “darker half” of the year). According to ancient customs, towns in Ireland used to hold contests — like a mini-Olympics — to win the spirits’ favor for another year of good harvests. I blended that concept with the extraordinary family drama of The Royal Tenenbaums, the supernatural humor of Gravity Falls and the charming ensemble village of Waking Ned Devine. It all just seemed like too much fun not to turn into a book.
FS: Why Ireland? Was there a particular draw for Ireland to be the setting?
ZK: Ireland is one of my favorite places in the world — I traveled there when I was a teenager to see where the Irish side of my family is from, drove around the whole island with my wife on our honeymoon, and can’t wait to get back again soon. I connect deeply with the landscapes, the food, and the people. When I realized the connection between Halloween and Ireland, I knew this story had to be set there.
FS: The art is so dynamic and fun, from the cast itself to the supernatural obstacles the characters have to face. What was your collaboration like with the creative team?
ZK: This is the best creative team I’ve ever worked with… and I’ve never met them in person! Gabriele Bagnoli, our incredible illustrator, and Valerio Alloro, our masterful colorist, both live and work in Italy. Even though we speak different languages, we share the same creative vision and sensibility which makes collaboration effortless. Rounding out our team we have Frank Cvetkovic, our brilliant letterer, and Megan Walker, our editor (and biggest champion) at Dark Horse. We did another book together which turned out better than I could have dreamed — “Hotel REM” — so we had to get the band back together for this one!
FS: This is absolutely a comic I’d let my younger nieces read and I know they’d love. Do you have any favorite all-ages horror or Halloween-themed stories?
ZK: Growing up, my favorite all-ages horror books were Goosebumps and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. One of the inspirations for this book was Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit which is about a small town competition too!
Small Town Spirits page 2
FS: What are you reading right now?
ZK: I usually read one fiction and one non-fiction book at the same time. Right now, I’m listening to The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub and reading The Happy Isles of Oceania by Paul Theroux.
FS: Do you have any other projects coming down the pike you’d like to discuss?
ZK: This fall I have another book coming out with Dark Horse comics, Top Secret Service, about two U.S. Secret Service Agents who are given the boring task of protecting a kindly, old, retired ex-president, but they soon learn he was actually involved in a world-altering government conspiracy covering up alien contact. Now, a hit squad has come for the secrets only he knows — and the dangerous technology the aliens left behind.
FS: If you had a final pitch for Small Town Spirits, what would it be?
ZK: If you’re looking to get into the spooky, sports or Celtic spirit, this book is for you. Enjoy!
The Small Town Spirits trade paperback goes on sale Tuesday, May 13, 2025, from Dark Horse Comics.
From the official trade paperback description:
There is a town in Ireland where people still do Halloween the old-fashioned way: an annual sporting competition to honor the Spirits.
Every year, the perfect, prestigious O’Dell family makes an absolute mockery of the lovable but laughable Flanagan family at The Spirit Games, dashing their dreams of winning. But this year, teenage troublemaker Pad Flanagan plans to change everything: he tricks the Spirit of an ancient Celtic hero into training his family for the big event…accidentally opening a supernatural floodgate of mischief, magic and monsters that threatens to destroy his town.
Creators
Writer:
Artist:
Colorist:
Valerio Alloro
Letterer:
Frank Cvetkovic
Cover Artist: