'Beastly Buddies' Writer Steve Foxe Brings a Comedic Touch to Marvel Horror

When angry villagers chase Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing out of their rental home castle in BEASTLY BUDDIES INFINITY COMIC (2024) #1 (available now on Marvel Unlimited!), they find themselves on the hunt for a new place to stay, which sends them on a madcap adventure across the Marvel Universe. Along the way, Jack Russell and Ted Sallis will run into a hoary host of Marvel Horror characters, from Manphibians to mummies and vampires and everything in between. Unbeknownst to them, though, they aren’t the only ones on the prowl: infamous monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone is hot on their heels, and she’s not in the mood for pleasantries…

Speaking to Marvel.com, BEASTLY BUDDIES writer Steve Foxe opened the crypt on his new Marvel Horror Infinity Comic with artist Armand Bodnar. He explained the comedic tension in Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing’s conflicting worldviews, as well as the "bad attitude" Elsa Bloodstone brings to the story. He also teased the "who's who of the spooky Marvel U" that will appear in the series, praised Bodnar's character acting, shared his excitement to bring a little comedy to Marvel Horror, and much more.

MARVEL.COM: Set the stage for us: what do readers need to know before they dive into BEASTLY BUDDIES?

STEVE FOXE: That the power of friendship—and the necessity of getting evicted from your ancestral castle—can bring a grumpy werewolf and a wide-eyed plant being together for hijinks! But seriously—readers only need the most basic familiarity with the spookier side of the Marvel Universe to dive into our story. 

Jack is the Werewolf by Night—his deal is right there in the name. But he’s pretty much the Werewolf by All the Time for our purposes. And Ted is the Man-Thing, a not-too-talkative Nexus Being who happens to be a shambling plant monster. If you like monsters and mayhem, you now know everything you’ve got to know to swipe into Chapter One.

MARVEL.COM: What makes Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night such a good pair?

STEVE FOXE: Comedy is built on tension, and while these two are buddies (hence the title), they approach life a bit differently. Jack, since he’s used to being chased by frightened mobs due to his hirsute appearance, is a bit more high-strung than his serene plant pal. Ted doesn’t want anyone to be afraid of him—those who know fear burn at the etc. etc. Playing up that dynamic as we tour this duo through the dark side of the Marvel U makes for a lot of macabre comedic potential.

MARVEL.COM: One of these characters, Man-Thing, doesn’t speak. What were some of the joys and challenges of working with a character who has no dialogue? 

STEVE FOXE: Joy: I get paid the same for writing less! Challenge: [Artist] Armand [Bodnar] has to convey all of his characterization without my dialogue to help out. Wait, that’s only a challenge for Armand…
 
Seriously though, in the classic comedy strip format we’re aping here, a silent character (who Jack still implicitly understands) is a super fun archetype. Armand has been such a dream collaborator since the project began, it’s never felt like a hurdle to have a silent Ted. That tentacled face says it all!

MARVEL.COM: As Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night make their way through the Marvel Universe, we see Elsa Bloodstone in hot pursuit. What does she add to BEASTLY BUDDIES?

STEVE FOXE: A bad attitude, mostly. She doesn’t exactly have the kindest reputation…
 
Elsa is our story driver, keeping the momentum going chapter to chapter. I can’t say too much about where her frustrated pursuit is headed, but if she does catch up to our buds, they’ve got quite the surprise in store…

MARVEL.COM: Who else might they run into along the way? 

STEVE FOXE: A who’s who of the spooky Marvel U., that’s who! Without spelling it out too explicitly, think flaming skulls, monstrous isles, strange schools, Manphibians, mummies, and vampires, oh my! We even tossed in a few spooky-adjacent guests, like a certain spider who crawls like a man. And we couldn’t resist having our plant-and-irritable-furry-pal duo meet another iconic plant-and-irritable-furry-pal duo…

MARVEL.COM: Tell me about working with Armand Bodnar. What did he bring to the series?

STEVE FOXE: Armand Bodnar was BEASTLY BUDDIES before I was BEASTLY BUDDIES, and it shows on every single panel. Between him and colorist K.J. Diaz, this is one of the best-looking projects I’ve ever been involved in—it’s just perfectly paired to the tone of the story, and Armand knows how to marry horror and hilarity like no other. He crams in physical comedy, cameos, sight gags, and never loses clarity of storytelling. Readers will see from the very first panels how much thought and attention he put into this series, and I couldn’t be happier to be creating it alongside him and K.J.!

MARVEL.COM: What are you most excited for readers to see in BEASTLY BUDDIES?

STEVE FOXE: Did I mention Manphibian? I am a weirdly big fan of that guy. 

But aside from him, I’m stoked for readers to see the way we’ve brought a comedic touch to Marvel’s dark side, while still celebrating all the denizens of the shadows. BEASTLY BUDDIES is my full-blown ode to the Halloween and classic horror spirit, and I can’t wait for folks to check it out!

BEASTLY BUDDIES INFINITY COMIC #1 is available to read now on Marvel Unlimited!

Want to read more Infinity Comics? Join Marvel Unlimited for instant access to 30,000+ comics on the Marvel Unlimited app or on the web, with digital issues spanning Marvel Comics classics to ongoing series!