Comics Features

INTERVIEW: Christian Douglas, Creator of Unpopular Tales

See that cute little face? Well you had better forget it forever because Unpopular Tales’ Red Riding Hood is going to change everything you ever thought you knew about children’s fairy tales.

We recently spoke to Christian Douglas about his newly created, updated, and adulterated versions of our favorite childhood stories! So put the kids to bed and let’s get into it!

AP2HYC: Tell us a bit about how Unpopular Tales began.

Douglas: It all began with a series of poems written way back in college (more than 14 years ago) as an exercise among fellow aspiring poets/writers. We all had to reimagine the classical folktales. The first story I remember reading from a friend was The Three Little Pigs, and I thought…this could be applied to all of the classical tales. So I started writing just for fun, but the whole thing started to grow and grow…

AP2HYC: On your website it says that you are a fan of The Brothers Grimm series of stories. How has that influenced your own own writing and creative process?

Douglas: During my childhood, books – specifically fairy tales – where my best companions. I remember fondly a big collection of stories brought by my recently deceased father. [The Brothers Grimm] and other classic authors such as Hans Christian Anderson or Lewis Carol showed me a whole world of vivid characters. All those crazy and fun stories left a mark on my young self.

AP2HYC: What can you tell us a about the characters in Red Riding Hood without giving too much away?

Douglas: We have four main characters; strong and fighting their own battles. On their side [are] others helping them.

T-Rex? You damn right.

T-Rex? You damn right.

AP2HYC: Since “little” Red Riding Hood works in a brothel, would it be safe to say that Unpopular Tales‘ stories are meant for adults only?

Douglas: Yes, this is an 18+ story.

AP2HYC: I’m interested in how you’ve handled “the wolf” in this story. How does he differ from the version of the story most people are familiar with?

Douglas: The wolf is a force of nature. He’s serving a higher purpose. There is a moment [where] this is stated clearly. The big “why” of it will be explained in the upcoming numbers [sic], because there’s a key element that all stories share.

AP2HYC: The artwork in Red Riding Hood shows a strong anime/manga influence. What, if any, where the inspirations for this choice in style?

Douglas: Our initial idea was to make a more American contemporary piece/style, but our main artist wanted to leave his own personal touch to the piece.

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AP2HYC: You have taken Unpopular Tales all over Spain. Which convention do you feel had the best response?

Douglas: We had a pretty cool success on the Tenerife Lan Party, and where we show [sic] the first time: Muricia’s Winterfreak.

AP2HYC: How has the sexual tone of Red Riding Hood affected distribution in other countries at all?

Douglas: Yes, we had some issues in the U.S. Sadly the next edition will have to be toned down for the American distributors.

AP2HYC: What other folktales will be getting the Unpopular Tales treatment in the future?

Douglas: We have lots of stories piled up. The Three Little Pigs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel

AP2HYC: What are your favorite comic stories of all time?

Douglas: That’s a hard one… I will have to say Sandman, Swamp Thing, and of course The Dark Knight Returns, among many others.

Thanks Christian!

For further information about Unpopular Tales and Red Riding Hood, as well as their upcoming titles, visit their website, or check out their Facebook, Twitter, and/or (AND) artist Pedro Delgado‘s own Facebook page. What are you waiting for? Get to it!

Did you click all those links? G’head. But make sure you’re 18+ years old first; these stories are not for kids!

What do you think of Unpopular Tales recreations of our cherished childhood stories? Let us know in the comments section and on our Twitter page!

About the author

Robert Porter