An In-Depth Look Into the Making of Aditya Bidikar & Som's 'In Your Skin' Comic Book Series

The creators reveal how they crafted the much anticipated body horror limited series produced by Tiny Onion and published by Image Comics

From the character concept art to the script to the penciled and inked pages, readers can now see how Bidikar and Som fused story and art together fluidly to create the stunning opening sequence of the unnerving and erotic twisted tale set in Bollywood.

“In Your Skin went through a fair few outlines before I started scripting it,” said Bidikar. “I wanted to be sure that the story worked as a whole before I wrote it. Of course, once I saw what Som was doing with the art, a bunch of things changed anyway, as they should. The moment he started drawing these characters, they stopped being just my characters and became ours, and the script had to change accordingly.”

 

“The process of creating the art for In Your Skin started off with some rough explorations,” said Som. For the opening dance sequence, we gathered references and studied ’90s dance videos on YouTube to understand the rhythm of the choreography, primarily the ones by the legendary Saroj Khan. After a few iterations on the first page, Aditya and I concluded that there was more of an immersive element to the sketch that was developed as the final page.”

In Your Skin marks the solo writing debut for Bidikar, who is a part of Tiny Onion’s growing Artists in Residence program. Bidikar will also be lettering it himself, designing a brand new font just for the series. 

“Writing this was a challenging process, but it was a lot of fun,” said Bidikar. “While I’ve worked in comics for more than a decade, this was my first long-form writing project. It was only as I started writing this book that I discovered just how nebulous the idea of ‘a page’ is. How much information a page can contain, how to pace a story, how much dialogue works—it was all a process of discovery. Some writers say that you never learn to write, you only ever learn to write the thing you’re writing now. I think that’s quite true.”

The project marks the sophomore debut for Som as a comic book series artist; his background in film and animation is felt throughout the Bollywood-inspired series. To create the opening sequence that captures the morphing of two bodies and souls, Som got into the mindset of the characters.

 

“Sometimes my mind draws a blank on what gesture fits the attitude I get from Aditya's writing. In the second panel of page 2, for instance, I knew the girl in the vox pop interview was a fanboy, but I wasn't sure of the gesture that was coming into my head. I studied cosplayer interviews, drawing inspiration to act out attitudes that complement rather than supplement the idea. I also wanted to give a glimpse of Mumbai, so for Priyanka's vox pop interview I set it up around Bandra, where graffiti of past actresses on the walls seem to have their eyes on her, adding a hint of the surreal to those panels.”

 

Som added, “The dream sequence, on the other hand, was fairly straightforward. The body horror bits were the fun parts—I absolutely love the idea of one skin melting into another. There are no references for something like that, so I had to rely entirely on my own understanding. I did look at how pas de deux unfold in ballet to understand the physical engagement of one body with another, and tried to integrate that with the rhythm I had already established. Because it had a pre-decided painterly style, I treated it largely as concept art. The white was intentional— to lift her into a pure, untainted moment where nothing exists beyond her and her aspiration.”

 

In In Your Skin, Priyanka is a Bollywood uber-fan who has been obsessed with film star Ayesha Sen since she was a kid—she's watched her movies over and over, and knows her dances beat for beat. But after a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet her idol goes awry, and Ayesha announces her impending retirement from movies, Priyanka decides that if Ayesha isn't going to live the life she's supposed to, Priyanka would be more than happy to take over for her…

 

Bidikar discussed what it was like to work with Som to give the characters depth and build the world of their story in a Bollywood setting.

 

“After Som read the script, we had many calls to discuss the inspirations for the characters, the Bollywood references that served as an inspiration for the story,” said Bidikar. “We also went through multiple character designs. One of Som’s strengths as an artist is embodying the characters and their body language and expressions. He works with a kind of interiority that is a rare skill. A lot of the environment of the book—people’s houses, the parts of town they live in, how Mumbai reflects their characters—was stuff Som brought to the book. Knowing that Som was as equally invested in building the story as me was freeing—I could focus on the words and dialogue, knowing that Som would always do justice to the characters. We learned to trust each other’s processes, and now we mostly check in with each other only with doubts and questions.”

 

“Both Aditya and I are fairly intense people,” said Som. “Fortunately we are also friends who know when to give the other precedence. Our backgrounds gave us enough trust in each other to not overstep. Aditya had faith in my exposure to Bollywood, and I knew he was a writer who adds multiple layers between the lines of his text. There is also room in our arrangement for me to tell him in advance that I'd love to explore a certain side of Mumbai, and if the story permits, he is more than glad to incorporate it.”

 

Som added, “I was familiar with the characters Aditya was writing and could borrow inspiration from people I knew. I could sense he appreciated some of the choices I made—like giving both Priyanka and Ayesha bangs that hid the forehead, almost as if Priyanka wanted to be like her, along with certain details that felt distinctly Priyanka, like the septum ring. And if I missed something in the writing, Aditya was always kind enough to voice the actual intent of the page, so I knew exactly where it was coming from.”

The series is edited by Eric Harburn, Tiny Onion’s Director of Narrative & Editor-in-Chief, and the talent lineup also includes colorist Francesco Segala, color assistant Gloria Martinelli, and designers Dylan Todd and Courtney Menard.

 

“Eric was instrumental in how the story has turned out,” said Bidikar. “He’s been helping me refine each script, and he’s been giving us feedback on the art throughout. He’s been a great sounding board, and has also functioned as an agony aunt on days where we need empathetic guidance. Tiny Onion has been fantastic to work with. The logo and design work by Dylan Todd and Courtney Menard is exceptional—it completes the language of the book. Jazzlyn, Harley, and Devin have been helping us handle everything on the Sales & Marketing side. I don’t think there’s a better team I could’ve wished for to work on my first book as a writer.”

 

“It wouldn't be the slightest exaggeration to say that ever since I worked with Eric on Crocodile Black, I have been itching to work with him again,” said Som. “Aditya and I often joke that Eric is the calming agent for us two frantics, absolutely essential to realising the book, keeping us on our timelines and making sure we don't get too obsessed with any one panel.”

 

Som added, “I discovered Francesco and Gloria through Eric, and I am glad and awed in equal measure. The two are incredibly talented and a powerhouse of a team, but what struck me just as much was how open they are to suggestions—exactly the right energy we needed around us. Given the hyper-specific details in the comics, we were curious about how they would interpret it all, but they brought their own flavour of flair and charm that I feel has genuinely elevated the book. And to see Dylan design and package the whole book was a chef’s kiss. The Tiny Onion team has been tremendously supportive throughout, guiding us through the process and encouraging our creative choices at every turn. I always had a say and never felt stifled or lost. I think I just got lucky with them.”

In Your Skin #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, April 22:

• Cover A by Som - Lunar Code 0226IM0317
• Cover B by Maria Llovet - Lunar Code 0226IM0318
• Cover C 1:10 copy incentive by Anand RK - Lunar Code 0226IM0319
• Cover D 1:25 copy incentive by Tula Lotay - Lunar Code 0226IM0320

In Your Skin #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

 

Select early praise for In Your Skin:

 

“This is a powerful showing for both Som and Aditya Bidikar as future household names for comics.”—Gatecrashers

 

“In Your Skin has a great momentum and sets up what feels like it could be one of the most unsettling body horror comics we’ve seen in a while."—ComicBook

 

“Stylish, unsettling, and genuinely fresh.”—The Comic Book Yeti

 

“In Your Skin feels both tense and comfortably dreamlike somehow, like waking from a nightmare you are desperate to return to. The ethereal art and poetic writing keep drawing you in until it’s too late to look away. This book haunts.”—Matthew Rosenberg (We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us)

 

“A wonderful dive into fandom and horror by way of Bollywood, this first issue is both gorgeous and unsettling. Aditya has been known for years as one of the industry’s greatest letterers and now he’s proving he’s also one of its greatest writers.”—Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals)

 

“It’s brilliant, risky, sexy, grotesque both in body horror and the disturbing psychology of extreme fandom, it’s filled with beautiful gestures and characters and struggles. It’s like nothing else in comics.”—Deniz Camp (Absolute Martian Manhunter)

 

“The best body horror stories use the body as a means to explore questions about identity, society, and sensuality. Bidikar and Som understand this perfectly, delivering a carefully crafted tale of desperation wrought by societal pressures. Pressures that can only find release by escaping through the flesh.”—Lonnie Nadler (The Sickness)

 

“It is grotesque and beautiful; disturbing and sexual. The book has shades of David Lynch in how it creates unease, though I pause before I bring up his name. Most art that invokes Lynch is not as thoughtful in its choices as this comic is.”—Dan Watters (Batman: Dark Patterns)

Courtesy of Tiny Onion