Writer Swifty Lang Letterer Chris Mangun Translator Nathalia Ruiz Murray Date 2011 | Artist Michael Lapinski Language English, Spanish Originally published 2011 Page count 184 Publisher Archaia Entertainment | |
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ISBN 978-1-936393-02-2 (English; hardcover)
978-1-936393-12-1 (Spanish; hardcover) Similar Swifty Lang books, Other books | ||
Feeding ground graphic novel trailer
Feeding Ground is a graphic novel created by Swifty Lang, Michael Lapinski and Chris Mangun. It is a supernatural werewolf horror thriller set by the US-Mexico border.
Contents
History
Swifty Lang conceived of Feeding Ground after seeing a documentary by his friend Thomas Peyton about border crossing. Lang brought the idea to Chris Mangun, and they pitched it to illustrator and animation art director Michael Lapinski. The trio took about six months to put together a pitch book, which Lapinski brought to NYC Comic Con in 2009. There he met Archaia Entertainment Editor-In-Chief Stephen Christy, who passed the pitch book up the Archaia chain. A deal was soon in place.
Initially released as a six-part monthly series by Archaia starting in August 2010, Feeding Ground is believed to be the first bilingual comic book with English- and Spanish-language versions in the same issue. A hardcover collection, with a foreword from Luís Alberto Urrea, was published by Archaia in October 2011.
Synopsis
Along with his wife Bea, teenage son Miguel and pre-teen daughter Flaca, Diego Busqueda lives in Barbecho, Mexico, near the Arizona border. A famine caused by Blackwell Industries drives Diego to become a “Coyote,” leading Mexican border crossers across the unforgiving “Devil’s Highway” desert to fulfill their dreams of immigration. Alejandro Blackwell, owner of Blackwell Industries, leads a pack of werewolves terrorizing the desert.
After wandering from her backyard and being bitten by one of Blackwell’s werewolves, Flaca briefly disappears from home. Issues with Flaca’s strange behavior, dishonest locals and poverty-related problems prompt Bea to burn down the family house. Upon Diego’s return, the Busquedas enter the desert to cross the border themselves. As they try to gain entry into the US, they find themselves being chased by US border patrol officials and hunted by werewolves. When Flaca runs off, Diego chases after her. Meanwhile, Bea and Miguel are picked up by border patrol, gaining passage into the US, where they struggle to find food and housing. Diego ultimately finds Flaca at the headquarters of Blackwell Industries, under Alejandro’s spell and confused by her new existence as a werewolf.
Themes
Themes of transformation, borders and survival run through Feeding Ground. It contains underlying commentary on the issue of illegal immigration, offering different perspectives: the everyday realities faced by immigrant workers and the families they leave behind; the border patrolmen who are just doing their jobs; and vigilantes who monitor the border on their own. Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “Lang and Lapinski have created an allegory for the sometimes predatory relationship American companies have with Mexico.”
Visual style
Feeding Ground is illustrated by Lapinski in a limited palette, photo-realistic style. The werewolves are drawn as lanky, bipedal creatures.
Influences
Lang has said the genesis of the story comes from “the real life harrowing tales of the men, women and children who daily attempt to cross over into the United States” from Mexico. He lists Thomas Peyton’s 2009 documentary short Three Men From Three Valleys and Luís Alberto Urrea’s 2004 nonfiction book The Devil’s Highway as major influences on Feeding Ground’s story.
Lapinski has credited the non-literal coloring of old Vertigo comics such as Swamp Thing with influencing the graphic novel’s look and feel. His illustration style has been influenced by José Guadalupe Posada’s Mexican woodcut art.
Creators
Hardcover edition
Film adaptation
In May 2012, producer Edward R. Pressman optioned the rights to Feeding Ground. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is set to make his feature film directing debut, with writer Carlos Cato adapting the graphic novel for the screen. The film will be in English and Spanish. Pressman called Feeding Ground “an intense and terrifying thriller,” adding that it is “so cinematic in nature – as soon as I read it, I knew we could make a film that would resonate with a wide audience.” Pressman previously produced The Crow, also based on a graphic novel. Serving as executive producers will be Pressman Films’ Jon Katz; Archaia’s Stephen Christy and PJ Bickett; and Jason Carpenter. Stephen Cavaliero will serve as a co-producer.