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The Heart of the Beast
July 16, 2013, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Dynamite is pleased to announce that The Heart of the Beast, the hauntingly evocative graphic novel written by Dean Motter and Judith Dupré, and featuring lavishly painted artwork by Sean Phillips, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an all-new prestige format edition.
With the tagline, “Science transformed his body, artistry inspired his soul,” The Heart of the Beast explores the timeless themes of classic horror literature, set against the backdrop of new York City’s decadent art world of the nineties. Sandra, a stunning and young bartender, meets the enigmatic Victor, a man with odd scars and stranger secrets. A tale of gothic love and modern horror, this graphic novel drew praise from critics and comic fans alike.
The Heart of the Beast. Art by Sean Phillips.
“I had just finished writing and illustrating The prisoner for DC when Vertigo approached me about pitching an original graphic novel,” says co-writer Dean Motter. “After writing Mister X and The Prisoner, I felt a bit ill-suited to do a supernatural story. I thought that what I’d really like to do was a contemporary adult gothic drama. I was a new arrival in new York, living in Tribeca and mesmerized by the local art scene. It fascinated me. My co-writer, Judith, was a curator and art critic living in lower Manhattan at the time. In addition to acquainting me with the wonders of the city, she opened up some of the seedier sides of its art world as well. We crafted our tale from our new York experiences, and our affection for art.”
The Heart of the Beast. Art by Sean Phillips.
Regarding the era that served as inspiration for The Heart of the Beast, co-writer Judith Dupré shares, “Soho was the stomach button of the global art scene in the 1980s, with collectors coming in from all over the world. They’d snap up entire shows of the artists who were hot. prices were high and so were the piles of cocaine. Fortunes were made overnight to the tune of Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star.’ artists without a coin to toss unexpectedly were getting racehorses. One Swiss collector sent a dealer a perfectly shaped, full-size female leg – made of milk chocolate – to thank him for a painting. For months, we’d hack off chunks of it, gobbling it down like cannibals. There were dark shadows, too. Art that wasn’t even on the market, in some cases not even made yet, was being traded and sold. mark Kostabi, Warhol’s bastard child, had his 15 minutes of fame, churning out copies of masterworks in a literal art factory. In 1985, the artist Ana Mendieta fell or was pushed from her 34th floor apartment or condo window. That same year saw a sadomasochistic ‘death mask murder’ case involving a well-known 57th street art dealer and his assistant. aids didn’t have a label yet, but stables of artists were dying, their creativity snuffed. Tribeca bars – Puffy’s and Mickey’s – were our shared living rooms. Area, an incredible dance club, had revolving themes – going there was like dancing inside an art installation. We’d creep home from the clubs as the sun rose. then I’d become a gallerina. I’d sit in the gallery, absolutely without power but having a front row seat to the comings and goings of artists, collectors, and art world cognoscenti.”
Dupré continues, “Writing The Heart of the Beast was a way to honor those wild, exciting, and uncertain times. It was terrific fun inventing a new Rembrandt – apparently, I didn’t sleep through all my art history classes. Paging through the book, I get sentimental seeing those things that are no longer new, like ATM cards, or no longer used, like answering machines. Art, though, is a constant. Sean did an incredible job capturing the sultry grit of lower Manhattan.”
The Heart of the Beast. Art by Sean Phillips.
“I’m very pleased that this early work is being made available again from the fine folks at Dynamite,” says Sean Phillips. “This was my first major project for an American publisher and it sank without trace twenty years ago. now people have another chance to read Dean and Judith’s terrific story and to see me learn to paint in watercolours on the job. I’d like to think I’ve got better at painting considering that I finished Heart Of The Beast, but I’m not so sure. I’m still really pleased with the work I did on this book and just wish I could remember how to paint like that again.”
Concerning the complimentary nature of The Heart of the Beast‘s story and art, Motter adds, “Sean was the optimal illustrator for the story. Perfectly real without the affectations of urban commentary. The terror of the story comes, not from the conventional horrific tropes of a lesser artist, but from the counterpointof his masterfully sublime illustrations and mounting unseen dread in our script. I’ve always been pleased of this effort and am very delighted to see it re-presented by Dynamite. I’ve been told it was ahead of its time. I hope twenty years is enough.”
The Heart of the Beast. Art by Sean Phillips.
“The Heart of the Beast was one of those rarities from the early 1990s that could only have materialized when it did, because the world was only starting to understand and appreciate the artistry, the depth, and the literary value of the graphic novel,” says Nick Barrucci, CEO and publisher of Dynamite. “Dean Motter and Judith Dupré presented an emotional, grab-you-by-the-heart tale, a revisionist take on a creature of classic gothic horror. and the artwork of Sean Phillips is just gorgeous, with paintings so lifelike and emotive, you just knew that he was destined for greatness.”
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