The Toil and Trouble of SOMAN CHAINANI Brings us COVEN

Hernando Diaz hosts Soman Chainani in the Yeti Cave for a conversation over his debut graphic novel, Coven, out now through Harper Collins!

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COMIC BOOK YETI: Soman, thank you so much for joining me today to discuss this brilliant project. Let me start with the question; what inspired you to become a writer? How did you get your start in the industry?

SOMAN CHAINANI: It all started with Disney. I grew up watching Disney movies, and as I got older, I found myself identifying with the villain over the hero. That got me thinking about storytelling, and why we root for the characters we do. Of course, I also had wonderful teachers, like my 7th grade English teacher Mrs. Gonzalez, who challenged us to write scary stories in exchange for skipping homework. I remember reading my story out loud (a murder mystery where the classmates I liked least started disappearing) and to my surprise, everyone wanted more. That awakened something in me. The appreciation of an audience.

CBY: You create fascinating worlds with great characters and brilliant stories. Are there any particular comic writers or artists who have influenced your style? If so, how?

SC: My foundational text is Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. The language, the atmosphere, the richness of emotions. Also, Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola. Horror where the blood is redder than red. Graphic novel-wise, Art Spiegelman, the author of Maus, is a big influence for me.

CBY: Let's talk about Coven, specifically. How do you develop your characters? What aspects do you consider really important in their creation?

SC: I’m always about drilling deeper on a character’s want. Not stopping at the surface level of what a character’s immediate goal is, but going a layer deeper until I hit the fundamental bedrock of what drives a character.

CBY: Having seen the art in Coven, it is really amazing - I love the art of the three witches, for example. What was the collaboration with Joel Gennari in your writing process?

SC: At its core, a graphic novel is the artist’s medium. While I write the script, it's the artist who dedicates years to bringing it to life on the page. Joel poured nearly four years into COVEN, approaching every detail with care and precision — a real reflection of how deeply he believed in the story and its resonance.

CBY: Talking about inspiration. How do you handle these moments when you are blocked or have creative burnout?

SC: I exercise! My belief is that whenever I’m experiencing a creative block, it’s because my conscious brain is getting in the way of my subconscious. So my strategy is to weaken that part of my brain, so can’t put up a fight. Nine times out of ten, coming back from a workout, I know where to go next with my stories.

CBY: How do you decide when a story is finally finished and ready for publication?

SC: I do speed-reads at double-time, and if I snag even once, it means the story isn’t ready. In this day, where books have to compete with social media for readers’ attention, writing has to be extra, extra sharp, so this sort of speed-test is crucial for me.

CBY: While readingm I saw great interesting moments in Coven, demonstrating how working together as a team helps for many things. Can you share with us a specific moment that has been especially meaningful to you and why?

SC: We were having a lot of trouble finding the right cover. We went through so many sketches and concepts, but just couldn’t find the right one. In the end, it was a huge team effort between Joel, me, and our art team on the publishing side, who all came together to build on each other’s ideas, and push the cover over the finish line.

CBY: What is the biggest challenge you've faced as a comic writer? How did you overcome it?

SC: The biggest challenge is definitely fitting into the pages you have! With a novel, there’s more wiggle room, and you can go on all sorts of fun side-quests, but in a comic, the plot has to be uber-tight. It’s like a film. Each beat of dialogue is precious and has to advance the story or help develop a character.

CBY: If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring creatives, what would it be?

SC: To trust your unconscious. Real inspiration can’t be forced, all you can do is create the conditions for the magic elves in your head to do their work. So my best advice is to build those conditions however you can, whether it’s exercise, or meditation, or something else that can quiet the noise and let you get in touch with the part of you that creates.

CBY: What would you like to ask another writer who you admire, if given the opportunity?

SC: How do you stay hopeful when books seem to require the kind of attention from readers they no longer have? 

CBY: Soman, thank you for joining us in the Yeti Cave today! For our readers at home, please feel free to include any portfolio, publication, or social media links below where they can further engage with you and your work. We look forward to seeing what you come up with next!

SC: You can follow me on Instagram @somanc and subscribe to my weekly blog at https://somanchainani.substack.com/ — thank you!

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