Providence Ghoul Photoshoot Interview with Susanna Peretz

Susanna Peretz with her Providence ghoul prosthetics mold. Photos via SusannaPeretzFX

Earlier, Facts in the Case brought you some photos from the ghouls photo shoot from Providence #7. We contacted the ghoul designer Susanna Peretz of SusannaPeretzFX who was generous enough to provide additional background about the photo shoot that resulted in one of the great visuals for Providence. The interview was conducted over email last week. We added links and a few visuals from SusannaPeretzFX Providence portfolio webpage.

Facts in the Case of Alan Moore’s Providence: Tell our readers a bit about you. Where are you based? What’s your background? What do you specialize in?

Susanna Peretz: I’m based in London. My background is in fine art, sculpting, mold making, make up, prosthetics, hair and wigs. I run my own fx studio where we provide all of the above.

You’ve collaborated in the past with Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins. Could you tell our readers a bit about some of these past projects?

I worked with Alan and Mitch on Jimmy’s End and His Heavy Heart, two short films that developed into the feature length film Showpieces which has just been released as part of a Box Set available from Amazon. The films were shot in Northampton which as I’m sure you know is Alan’s home town. The world in which part of this story is set is actually called Nighthampton – a dark mirror image of the town.

How did you collaborate with Providence artist Jacen Burrows? What came first? Did your ghoul designs follow Burrows’ ghoul drawings, or did Burrows’ drawings follow what you were doing with the prosthetics? Did you both work from descriptions from Alan Moore and/or H.P. Lovecraft?

Alan has a very vivid imagination and the brief came from him as well as an initial sketch of how he envisaged the ghouls. I am a Lovecraft fan anyway so am familiar with his style.

My process started with research into different images that related to Alan’s description. This took in studies of everything from gargoyles to monkeys to bats, canine and feline features, facial structures and teeth. Everything went in the melting pot of ideas prior to the initial sculpt which I then showed to Mitch and Alan. I believe the illustrations came after this. It was a long process!

(note: see Burrow’s later comments below)

Alan Moore is renown for lengthy comics scripts. Did he write a “script” specifically for this panel, or was it just part of Providence #7 script? How long were his instructions? Could you share any particulars?

Photos From the End of Providence 7

(This post cannot be done without some spoilers for Providence #7. You’ve been warned.)

Providence #7 final ghouls panel source photograph

We don’t have a lot of background on this, but a handful of ghoul photographs have emerged online related to the final panel of Providence #7, where Pittman develops his photograph “The Police Strike: A Settlement.” We’re hoping to bring a more full story soon, but what we know is that the ghoul prosthetics were created by Susanna Peretz of SusannaPeretzFx, who has worked with Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins on several productions.

John Higgs mentioned that Alan Moore has, possibly jokingly, called this “the most expensive panel in comic history.” And it very well could be. We’ll soon gather and share more of the story of the prosthetics, photographer, and people behind that dramatic final panel.