A New Nautical Horror-Thriller “Endeavour” Hits Shelves This October from DSTLRY Media [Interview]
"Lord of the Flies" meets "Yellowjackets" aboard an 18th century recreated ship.
A nautical horror-thriller sets sail this October from DSTLRY media, described as Lord of the Flies meets Yellowjackets aboard an 18th century replica ship called the Endeavour, once sailed by the infamous Captain James Cook. The 48 page first issue of Endeavour hits shelves October 8th of this year, with Final Order Cut Off right around the corner on August 18th.
Endeavour is from acclaimed writer Stephanie Phillips (Life, Grim, Phoenix) and artist Marc Laming (Star Wars, Planet Hulk), with colors by Lee Loughridge (Fables, Deadly Class) and letters by Tom Napolitano (Grim, Absolute Flash). The series is a modern survivalist action-thriller following a group of kids stranded on a ship adrift at sea, left alone after the unthinkable happens aboard their cruise.
Here at The DeMonster we had the opportunity to speak with Stephanie Phillips about Endeavour ahead of its release, she described the series as “a confined horror story about seven children trapped on a historic recreation of an old sailing ship. They have limited modern technology and have to survive both the ocean and one another.”
When asked about where the idea for Endeavour came from, Phillips told us “The idea really came from my love of Lord of the Flies, which is an obvious influence here. I think it also is partially from my fear of the water. We know so little about the ocean and it's a giant scary place to me. Setting a bunch of kids of varying backgrounds adrift on it… terrifying. Then you add the layers of their relationships and I think we have a really unique, drama-filled story happening.”
The Endeavour was a real ship that was captained by British Royal Naval Officer James Cook in the mid to late 1700s, which adds a layer of historical influence to the story. Phillips shared some of the thematic reasons for the decision, “ A huge theme for the story is science versus religion, something that was happening on board Cook's original vessel and its intent to survey and record the natural world. It was a mission to make order out of what these explorers deemed chaos (giving names to the natural world in order to help humans conquer it). We now have children who are trying to make sense of the world through limited understanding, and oftentimes through lessons their parents taught them. Some parents are scientists and doctors, and some are very influential in the church. It's a clash of ideologies that is passed down through history... and from parents to children.”
“I'm really excited about the cast of characters and how they relate to one another.” Phillips stated when discussing the aspects about the series she is most excited for readers to see, “I love stories like White Lotus where characters end up together through circumstance rather than choice, and we get to see the baggage they bring with them. I think our story has a lot of that happening. I'm also really excited for readers to see the artwork and the amount of work that Marc has put into these pages. The amount of detail and storytelling readers will get is so impressive.”
With an incredible creative team bringing Endeavour to life, Phillips said in the interview, “It's honestly a dream team and this book is so incredibly good looking and atmospheric. I've worked with all three of these guys before, including editor Will Dennis, and there's a reason I was so excited to jump on board (get it?) for another project with them all. Seriously, I can't stress enough how incredible the art is on this book. Marc has put in so much work on the detail of the ship and accuracy of the world being built here that I think there will be some really cool visuals for readers to dive into (another pun, yay!).”
Founded in 2023, DSTLRY Media has been making waves (we love ocean puns here!) in the comic book industry; redefining creator-owned comics and collectibles, providing a platform where the world’s most talented creators can explore and expand the boundaries of storytelling.
When asked about why DSTLRY Media was the perfect publisher to tell the story of Endeavour, Phillips told The DeMonster “I really love the page size. The DSTLRY books are oversized, which means we have large pages for Marc to really draw incredible shots of the ship and sea. It helps create an atmosphere for the project that we really wanted to capture. Not to mention all the other great books and creators at DSTLRY. I think it's a great home for the project.”
“With this incredible creative team coming together to bring this nautical horror-thriller to life, make sure to check out Endeavour #1 this October. Pre-order issue #1 of Endeavour at your local comic shop before August 18th, and make sure to stay up to date by following Stephanie Phillips on Instagram and Tiktok at @SnapCrackleSteph, and DSTLRY at @DSTLRY_Media on all major platforms!
