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The Butcher of Paris #1
Readers know Stephanie Phillips as the writer of Kicking Ice, Devil Within, and Descendent. now she turns her attention to the story of serial killer Marcel Petiot in Dark Horse’s The Butcher of Paris. Phillips recently shared more about this intriguing story with Westfield’s Roger Ash.
Westfield: Why did you decide to tell this story?
Stephanie Phillips: When I learned about Marcel Petiot, I knew the story needed to be told. You can read details about the case online, but there is something I think case notes miss when simply presenting facts. This story is about a serial killer hunting in a city occupied by Nazis – one of the darkest periods in French history (really, world history writ large). This case is about so much more than a serial killer, and I think that’s why it stood out to me.
Westfield: how much research did you do for the comic?
Phillips: I spent about a year just researching this case before ever putting pen to paper. I really enjoy researching and definitely went down every rabbit hole I could find.
Westfield: how much of the final story is your invention and how much is history? Is it challenging to strike a balance between the two?
Phillips: The entire team has done our best to keep the information accurate. Of course, there are changes and liberties we have to take given the scope of the story (5 issues) compared to the scope of Petiot’s crimes. instead of creating a story that is located completely in facts about the case, then, I really tried to write something that you can’t find in a Wikipedia article. This meant asking a lot of questions about the people living in the occupied city. how did the city respond to Petiot? What was it like for a detective to operate in an occupied city? What happens when people forget how to be empathetic? While the entire creative team has attempted to be as faithful to the historical material as possible, our larger goal was to tell a story that holds a mirror to those who are complicit and provide a reminder about the dangers of silence.
The Butcher of Paris #2