Interview- The Rage's Pierre Boisserie

'The Rage Volume 1,' written by Pierre Boisserie was released this week from Titan Comics. 'The Rage' imagines a world ravaged by a virus that only affects children, turning them into bloodthirsty zombies. The government keeps all the children locked up until a cure can be found. On the flip side, there is a rising militia whose intent is getting rid of all of the infected children. The story follows Amina, a mother of one of the children, on her quest to save her son. It's an exciting, taught read that grabs you from the start. I got to ask Boisserie a few questions about 'The Rage' and what's next on his plate.

Geek Hash: 'The Rage' is a terrifying new take on the Zombie genre. Definitely a 'Worst case scenario' for parents. What were the seeds of this book?

Pierre Boisserie: When we decided  to work together, Malo Kerfriden asked for something horrific in a decaying world. I thought of two films that impressed me at that time: Children of Men by Alfonso Cuaron and 28 weeks later by Fresnadillo. And don’t ask me why, but it was there, perfectly clear in my mind when I woke up one day: All the kids on the planet are infected and are killing the adults. I didn’t even have a rude evening with my kids the day before!

GH: The first volume sets up your world perfectly. We see a government that wants to contain and cure the children, and a militia that wants to eliminate the infected. In volume 2, do we get to go back and explore what caused the disease in the first place?

PB: No. The cause of the Rage is not important. I wanted to concentrate on the story of a woman looking for a kid, and the reconstruction of a family in a decaying world. Maybe if The Rage finds its audience, will there be follow up dealing with this subject.

GH: You are known for your work on such books as Attoneen, La Banque, and Patxi Babel. Is there a genre you haven't yet touched that you're interested in?

PB: Yes. I have always tried not to be categorized as a genre writer. I have done History, politics, spies, family saga, SF, time-travel, economics, superheroes, even a new take on Robin Hood. The subjects I’m working on are more determined by the people I’m working with.

I’m actually working with co-writers on the history of Rome, with a brand new fantastic and horrific take. And we’re also exploring the impact of religion on our civilization through a new uchronia.

GH: Are there currently plans to translate any of your other titles?

PB: In english, not that I know. But I really hope so. But there are plans to take The Rage to the big screen…