Clay McLeod Chapman on Seance in the Asylum

2025-02-12

Always challenge certainty. The moment you know, watch out. Clay McLeod Chapman arrives with another spooky story to confront your perspective, if not outright shatter it. His latest comic, Seance in the Asylum, done in collaboration with artist Leonardo Marcello Grassi, colorist Mauro Gulma, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic, propels us back into our past when science sought belief to cure the mad. It's 1865. America sits soaked in blood after the Civil War. The Ashcroft Hospital is bursting at the seams with an influx of patients, and Doctor Templeton believes spiritualism could form the spine of a radical new therapy. Unfortunately, Alicia Wilkinson, the medium he hired for the job, is a fake. But how does that explain all these ghosts appearing after she's committed her little act? All lovers of storytelling should make themselves aware of Clay McLeod Chapman. Check his website and follow his footsteps. If...

Always challenge certainty. The moment you know, watch out. Clay McLeod Chapman arrives with another spooky story to confront your perspective, if not outright shatter it. His latest comic, Seance in the Asylum, done in collaboration with artist Leonardo Marcello Grassi, colorist Mauro Gulma, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic, propels us back into our past when science sought belief to cure the mad.

It's 1865. America sits soaked in blood after the Civil War. The Ashcroft Hospital is bursting at the seams with an influx of patients, and Doctor Templeton believes spiritualism could form the spine of a radical new therapy. Unfortunately, Alicia Wilkinson, the medium he hired for the job, is a fake. But how does that explain all these ghosts appearing after she's committed her little act?

All lovers of storytelling should make themselves aware of Clay McLeod Chapman. Check his website and follow his footsteps. If he's speaking at a film festival, a bookstore, or a comic shop near you, ensure you're there. His readings are kinetic events powered by passion and imagination, and he brings all that to this week's podcast conversation.

We discuss the deep research he brought to Seance in the Asylum, his take on science versus belief, and how he and his collaborators found a unique way to depict possession—oh, and ectoplasm. We talk a lot about solid, not at all wet, architectural ectoplasm.

All four issues of Seance in the Asylum are out now from Dark Horse Comics, and the trade paperback will hit shops on June 3rd. Continue our conversation with Clay McLeod Chapman by following him on Bluesky and Instagram.

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

Patreon Exclusive: Clay McLeod Chapman on Extreme Carnage
The CBCC Newsletter - Our Psychic Rapport
Support Your Local Comic Shop: Episode 1 - Four Color Fantasies
Patreon Exclusive: Eamon Winkle on Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #33

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bluesky @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website, where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Comments (3)