Jeff Lemire set out to create an intelligent horror story, not one driven by gore, but by exploring the nature of evil. Sorrentino described the central character, Norton Sinclair, as inheriting the worst from himself and Lemire—nihilism from Sorrentino and obsession from Lemire. Norton is based off a character Lemire originally created in 1996 for a short film during film school in Toronto. The Black Barn from the series was somewhat inspired by the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks, though Lemire assures readers he’s going somewhere very different with the concept. The story came from two separate stories that weren’t working on their own, but finally clicked when Lemire put them together.
EHT Comics 