Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Michelle Gachet Dan Vado and "Secrets of Sarah Winchester"

Hauntings are a familiar tale for SLG Publishing.

The independent comic book publisher in downtown San Jose has been producing alternative and experimental comics for more than 24 years, said Dan Vado, founder and owner of SLG, formerly named Slave Labor Graphics.

Many of the titles produced have had darker themes, such as "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac," "Lenore" and "Emo Boy," which have earned national followings.

Vado, a San Jose native and former SJSU student, said he wanted to bring it back home, and tackled a local story, "Secrets of Sarah Winchester."

"I've always been fond of haunted houses and ghost stories," he said. "I thought that a story about her, combined with some of the crazier stuff that goes on in my head, would be kind of interesting."

In 1884, rifle heiress Sarah Winchester began building a massive Victorian mansion that now sits on Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, off Highway 280, according to the Winchester Mystery House Web site.

The 160-room house contains many oddities, such as stairs that lead to nowhere, and it has become a tourist attraction, according to the Winchester Mystery House Web site.

But Vado said the comic is more focused on Sarah Winchester's story than the mansion.

"The house in and of itself really was of no interest to me," Vado said. "But it's the why, and it's the motivation and the woman behind it."

Though there's no set release date yet, Vado said he is aiming for the comic to hit the stands in early winter.

Vado said he wrote the full script about a year ago and sent it to illustrator Drew Rausch to create the artwork.

Rausch said he enjoys working on spookier themes and is heavily influenced by artists such as Tim Burton, Edward Gorey and Charles Addams.

"I like stuff that has a lot of atmosphere to it, and horror is something that oozes atmosphere," he said.

Vado said the idea for the comic began while he and Rausch worked on another comic book series "Haunted Mansion," based on the Disneyland ride.

Vado said that in his research, he found the particular quirks of her house could be explained by Winchester's arthritis and the fact that the top three floors had to be torn down after the 1906 earthquake.

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