Interview: Spycraft Meets Spellcraft in 'The North Valley Grimoire'
Apr 25, 2023
Interview by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Get ready for a thrilling adventure that blends espionage with the supernatural in the upcoming debut comic book series, "The North Valley Grimoire." Written by bestselling author Blake Northcott and illustrated by Giuseppe Cafaro, this is a story about a black-ops CIA division that hunts and eliminates magic users. But when Agent Malek discovers a powerful grimoire, he begins to question the agency's true motives.
In an exclusive interview with Blake Northcott, she delves into the world of "The North Valley Grimoire," discussing everything from the agency's motivations to the team behind the stunning artwork. With a mix of action, mystery, and dark humor, this graphic novel is sure to captivate fans of spy thrillers and fantasy alike. So grab your grimoire and get ready to be enchanted by this one-of-a-kind adventure.
Troy-Jeffrey Allen: Let’s get into THE NORTH VALLEY GRIMOIRE right away. What is the story about?
Blake Northcott: I love it, down to business! The story revolves around a black-ops unit inside the CIA, called ‘FATHER Division’, which clandestinely works to eliminate magic users … at least that’s what they claim.
One of their operators, Agent Malek, seems to be going into business for himself, and his motives become clear in the first issue.
At the same time, a wealthy Virginia suburb has been rocked by a string of mysterious murders, right around the time a dangerous magical artifact shows up.
TJA: What can you tell us about The Agency? What is their beef with magic?
Northcott: FATHER Division, sometimes referred to as The Agency’ wants to keep magic a secret, and out of the hands of potential terrorists. Some magical artifacts—like the grimoire in question—can be more dangerous than a nuclear weapon.
So artifacts are being sold on the black market, spells are going wrong, and it’s just a matter of time before something truly catastrophic happens on global scale. Or maybe a magic catastrophe has already happened, and we just don’t realize it?
TJA: What made you want to team up with artist Giuseppe Cafaro?
Northcott: I’ve known Giuseppe for years. We’ve worked together before at Heavy Metal Magazine on our series ‘SYNAP$E’. He’s not just a sensational talent, but a dear friend. I’d work on a hundred projects with him.
TJA: What made you want to cross spycraft with spellcraft?
Northcott: It’s connecting my two favourite genres: spy thrillers and fantasy. What if a secret agency sent James Bond to hunt Buffy the Vampire Slayer? It’s that type of mash-up. But at the end of the day, this was really just something that I hadn’t seen done before: what if magic was real?
How would the government react? Would the suppress it? Try to prevent regular people from using it? Would they weaponize it for their own use? And how would countries around the world try to leverage this new resource? Going down this rabbit hole led to some interesting story ideas, and it expanded from there.
TJA: Is this more of a Men in Black type vibe or something much darker?
Northcott: No, the vibe is definitely more ’24’, ‘Alias’, and ’James Bond’. There are moments of levity, and Malek provides some humor and wit because that’s his personality type—but this isn’t being played for laughs. There are real stakes, and real consequences. And there is no ‘multiverse’ in this world: when you’re dead, you’re dead, and nothing can bring you back. Not even magic.
TJA: Tell us about your collaborators on the book. Who are the art teams on title?
Northcott: In 2023, Giuseppe is the best kept secret in the world of comics. He’s an incredible talent who keeps improving page after page, book after book. Not just an amazing artist, but the kindest person in the business. Just a pleasure to work with. And my colourist, Bryan Valenza, is sensational. He brings pages to life so effortlessly, and again, he seems to just keep getting better with each new project.
Working with these two is like a dream team collaboration, and I think readers are going to be blown away. And of course the artists who did the variant covers are incredible. Sean Gordon Murphy did a cover, David ‘DNA’ Nakayama did one, and there is an amazing homage to the Goldeneye video game by Michael Calero and Trevor Richardson.
The main cover is by Fay Dalton, who illustrated the James Bond special edition novels for the Folio Society in the UK. She’s a phenomenal talent.
TJA: In terms of audience, who is NORTH VALLEY GRIMOIRE for?
Northcott: If you’re into spy thrillers like ’24’, ’Alias’, and 007, there’s a lot here for you. If you love ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ’Angel’, and ‘Veronica Mars’, that late 90s/early 2000’s vibe, there is some of that, too.
World building and fantasy galore. I wanted to mix fantasy, action, mystery, adventure—and dash of dark humor. On the surface it’s an odd mixture, but once you dive into the world of North Valley, I think you’ll love it!
The North Valley Grimoire #1 (of 6) (MAR231991) is available to pre-order now at your local comic shop. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox.
Her iconic style amplifies the classic spycraft at the heart of THE NORTH VALLEY GRIMOIRE.
SPYCRAFT MEETS SPELLCRAFT in North Valley: a slick, James Bond-style adventure fused with the supernatural suspense of The Magicians.
In this thrilling debut, a CIA black-ops division clandestinely hunts - and eliminates - the most dangerous threat in history: MAGICK.
On a routine assignment, Agent Malek discovers a grimoire more powerful than a nuclear weapon ... but when The Agency wants to recover the spellbook instead of destroy it, he begins to question their endgame.
Written by bestselling author Blake Northcott (Catwoman) with art by Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad), The North Valley Grimoire is an enchanted tale of espionage like none other.
SPYCRAFT MEETS SPELLCRAFT in North Valley: a slick, James Bond-style adventure fused with the supernatural suspense of The Magicians.
Malek travels to North Valley, Virginia: a wealthy suburb plagued by mysterious (and gruesome) deaths.
While bodies pile up, the CIA frantically continues their mole hunt ... and discovers a rogue operator has plans to destroy the agency from the inside.
Written by bestselling author Blake Northcott (Catwoman) with art by Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad), The North Valley Grimoire is an enchanted tale of espionage like none other.
SPYCRAFT MEETS SPELLCRAFT in North Valley: a slick, James Bond-style adventure fused with the supernatural suspense of The Magicians.
When Calista visits her mother in prison, she makes a shocking discovery about the grimoire ... and as Agent Malek scrambles to cover his tracks, he learns there could be another double-agent inside of FATHER Division.
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