10 Questions with The Big Burn's Joe Henderson & Lee Garbett

All hell breaks loose today with the launch of The Big Burn #1—Joe Henderson, Lee Garbett, and Simon Bowland's slick heist-in-hell thriller. These pages smolder with chemistry as they follow Carlie and Owen, two career criminals who fall madly in love with each other. But after they sell their souls to avoid jail time, the duo assembles a crack team to break back into the underworld and retrieve their most valuable, lost possessions. 

Henderson and Garbett have a history of cementing ingeniously layered worlds rooted around lithe action and deep characterization. That creative harmony reaches a new high (or in this case, low?) in The Big Burn, a book whose endearing, syncopated banter and sheer charm invite all readers on a (hopefully) return journey into a casino abyss where hope is the currency. 

Writer John Parkins offered ten questions for Joe and Lee to dive into their creative process and the development of this sizzling masterpiece in the making.

Let’s start with the origin story for The Big Burn—you two have worked together before, but what brought you to DSTLRY and The Big Burn? 

Joe Henderson: I’ve been wanting to tell this story for years, about someone trying to steal their soul back from Hell. But then I ended up on a show about the devil, and Hell didn’t exactly work that way, so I put it on a shelf. Once Lucifer ended and I had a little time away from it, I revisited this project. And with time comes perspective, because I realized that it needed to be a love story. About getting your soul back to get your LOVE back. And suddenly my story had two leading characters and a whole bunch of heart.

Lee Garbett: I joined DSTLRY as a founding creator and we were going over projects to launch with when Joe messaged with his fantastic new pitch. We work so well together and Joe’s concepts are always absolute genius and bursting with character, so I was, of course, immediately in. I couldn’t be happier to have my first DSTLRY book be with my buddy and Skyward and Shadecraft co-creator. It feels right—and we’re incredibly proud of it. 

The Big Burn #1 Cover A by Lee Garbett (Cover H by Becky Cloonan Above)

How did the concept of Hell as a giant casino come about?

Henderson: I really wanted to make sure this version of Hell was different from the one on Lucifer, as well as the one depicted in the comic. I also wanted this to have the feeling of a traditional heist movie, so a grounded location that a group could con their way through felt appropriate. When I started playing with Hell as a place of hope—a place where you get so close to what you want, and then it’s pulled away from you—all the pieces suddenly locked together. Of COURSE it’s a casino. It’s got sin, sex, but also, it’s where people go to get married, to celebrate, and to bet it all. To hope.

Joe, I imagine planning a heist is difficult enough, but what went into your planning of the ultimate heist from the devil himself? Did you have a wall in your house that looked similar to what we see in Carlie’s bedroom, where she’s putting everything together?

Henderson: Ha, instead of a conspiracy wall like Carlie's, I had about a hundred word documents open. Writing heists are HARD and brain-breaking, but also, such a rush when the pieces start to click into place. When the hundred open files whittle down to ten and then finally one, and you realize it’s all come together.

The Big Burn #1 Cover I by Matt Taylor

Let’s talk about the characters. With Carlie and Owen, you quickly develop an adrenaline-fueled love story that makes readers want to root for them despite the fact that they’re thieves. Can you discuss the changes that occur once they sign their deal with the devil?

Henderson: I wanted the reader to fall in love with Carlie and Owen right off the bat, so that we also felt the loss when they sold their souls. So yeah, they’re thieves, but they’re more cut from the Danny Ocean cloth—charming, having fun, making you wish you were on the adventure along with them. And when they sign that deal, they realize it’s not just their souls that are gone—it’s their love too. The very thing that made their heists so thrilling, that made their lives worth living. I really wanted you to feel like they’d be willing to do anything to get their souls back, because your soul really is… well, everything.  

Garbett: The key to this was to get us to fall in love with Owen and Carlie as they fell for each other so that, when the loss of their souls and their passion and love kicks in, we as readers feel that loss too and are completely onboard with the idea of getting their souls back. It’s not just a heist. It’s a rescue. 

The Big Burn #1 Interior Art by Lee Garbett

We don’t get to spend a lot of time with the crew Owen has assembled yet, but can you talk about who they are and what makes them perfect for this job? Lee, what sort of inspiration did you have in creating their visual look?

Henderson: What makes them perfect is that they’re imperfect! They’re not the crew you’d assemble if you could choose anyone, but they’re the best they could find from a shallow pool—others who sold their souls. And the fun is seeing how their skills and flaws both hinder and help our heist moving forward.

Garbett: Joe’s character descriptions are great. We have a good shorthand and he’ll make a couple of attitude descriptions when we first ‘meet’ them in the script. That really gives me all I need to know about how they’ll carry themselves. About their vibe. I’ll sometimes like to have a few actors as suggestions too. It’s another great ‘in’ when you’re looking to find them.

Style-wise, it’s again based on their vibe. It’s one of the really fun parts of the process because, once you get it right, they come to life.

The Big Burn #1 Z Cover by Jae Lee

You’ve both danced with the devil before in your other writing, but what sets this version of him apart from others we’ve seen in pop culture?

Joe: One, I think Lee’s excellent design feels both familiar and yet strikingly original, which is such a hard line to walk. One of the things I really wanted to feel from him was a sense of genuine, physical threat. In the Lucifer show and comic he’s not that intimidating. In fact, a lot of depictions of the devil in recent media have leaned to him being more subtly scary, or just being a giant red monster. The Bruiser Devil, if you will, felt like a cool direction to go, while still maintaining a touch of genteel charm.

Garbett: We wanted him to be an intimidating presence and with a few devilish nods in there but we didn’t want a full on demon. He’s very self-satisfied and preening, which is always so much fun to draw - and he’s just enjoying himself. He’s friendly and welcoming but it all needs to feel very surface level and with the constant threat of harm running underneath. Anytime he shows up in a scene, I’m loving it. 

The Big Burn #1 Interior Art by Lee Garbett

Lee, how has the larger format offered by DSTLRY impacted your approach to the art? There are several amazing two-page spreads; is there a particular page or sequence in the first issue that was your favorite to draw?

Garbett: It’s been great fun. It did require an adjustment as it’s so much bigger than the usual 11X17 artboard—and a different shape—but it allows so much more scope for cinematic storytelling. Also, the size forces you to be much more gestural with the lines and I think that captures a different kind of energy.  

My way into it was starting with the first double page spread car/bike chase. I figured I’d throw myself right into the kinetic stuff and work on two of those enormous pages at once. It was a bit daunting at first but I found that I loved it and, once I’d got that spread down, I was off to the races with the rest of it.  

Your own stellar team includes Lee Loughridge, Lucas Gattoni, and Simon Bowland. What made them the right members of your crew to pull off a heist comic? 

Henderson: Lee Loughridge immediately got the book—his first pages were an immediate home run, and he also could sense where he could push tone a bit and put a bit of himself in it. That’s always the best part of a collaboration; when someone knows exactly what you’re doing, but still throws in surprises that you didn’t  expect, but also can’t 

Simon did a fantastic work on issue #1, and really set a great template for Lucas to follow for the following issues. Lettering is where the book finally comes to life, and it’s been a thrill seeing Owen, Carlie and the crew find their voices under their hands.

Garbett: I’ve wanted to work with Lee for ages. We were at a DSTLRY party last year and locked in on this being our first collaboration. His choices are always smart and gorgeous and he really elevates the art. He absolutely understands the tone and mood of the book he’s bringing to life. He’s also an absolute rock when it comes to the personality he brings to the team. He’s the complete package. 

Simon does beautiful work and did a fantastic job on issue #1, as he did with our previous books, Skyward and Shadecraft. Now Lucas has joined the book. He did beautiful work on Becky and Tula’s Somna so we’re excited to have him with us for our next issues. 

The Big Burn #1 Interior Art by Lee Garbett

Despite the supernatural elements, the first issue feels very grounded, more Steven Soderbergh than Sam Raimi. How do you balance the heist and action elements with the more supernatural aspects? And does that “grounded” approach continue through the rest of the series?

Henderson: Yeah, the goal was to live in Soderbergh, but to dip our toes into the Raimi every now and then. Mostly because the key to any heist is to establish strict rules and hold to them. If you can cheat, then a heist is meaningless, and the story loses its stakes. And so I wanted Hell to have the same rules as us, but also with flourishes that reminded us that… well, it’s still very much HELL.

 So the grounded approach definitely continues, but also, there will always be touches of Hell and horror to remind us of the fact, for all the talk about Hell being a casino, it’s still very much HELL, and our heroes are up against the devil himself.

What can we expect from the rest of the series?

Henderson: Clever heists, betrayals, heartbreak, twists, escapes, and most importantly, absolutely gorgeous art from Lee Garbett, who makes you feel like you’re right along with our group of thieves on the heist of a lifetime.

Lee: More thrills, skills, chills…and KILLS!