“Don’t Worry About What Anyone Else Thinks”: Oliver Mertz On The Super Punk Ethos Behind ‘A Ghost Arm Made Of Angry Ghosts’ – The Fandomentals

This week marks the release of A Ghost Arm Made of Angry Ghosts, a new graphic novel from Oliver Mertz (The Monuments, First Law of Mad Science), Alex Diotto (Youth, Indigo Children) and Oni Press. Set in a rather off-kilter version of 1990’s Washington D.C. where superpowers are a regular part of life even for non-superheroes, it follows Ari Ackerman in his strange life full of punk rock, teen angst, and a strange conspiracy. I got a chance to talk to Mertz about the book and find out where his ideas came from and what this mix of punk and superheroes means to him.

1. Can you give me an idea of where this merge of punk and superheroes comes from for you?

Indie comics and punk rock have gone together for a long time. What’s more punk than Love and Rockets? So the idea of merging the specific Washington D.C. hardcore/post punk scene of the 1990s, a scene I grew up in, and superpowers seemed very natural to me. It really boils down to me wanting to write about what I know and love, and it turns out I know a fair amount about the D.C. punk scene and superhero comics. Do I personally know about solving a superpowered murder mystery or two? No. But it’s fun to tell that story on the foundation of all my favorite things.

2. I understand that the rather unconventional setting of this book is based on your time growing up, what creative opportunities did this era and location offer you?

The D.C. punk scene was all about DIY and not waiting for permission. This ethos was most visible in the bands at the time, like Fugazi, but I took it to be a core part of my creative process for comics. Just make things. Put them out. Make more things. Don’t worry about what anyone thinks. Just make art. That same spirit can be seen in SPX, the comics convention we have here. Every creator at SPX embodies that same punk DIY spirit. It’s utterly inspiring.

3. The “weirdness” of your heroes seems like a big part of this book, similar to Doom Patrol or Grant Morrison’s X-Men. How do you think about powers and what’s the appeal of weird or freaky heroes to you?

Having powers changes a person. It breaks something in them. If you can fly, you’re going to look at the world differently. Automatically, you’re going to have opinions and make choices that are out of step with an average person. So with that in mind, it’s fun to think of how those powers alter a character’s arc. What does having powers do to their morals? Do the powers feel natural? Or do they feel forced? Ari’s awkward melting and invisibility powers feel less like a gift and more like a daily challenge.

4. How do you create a world like this which is quite different from ours on one level, but also so mundane and familiar at the same time despite the presence of powers?

I started with building out what I loved about growing up in the D.C. area. Those details really brought the world to life. From there, adding on the superpowers and odd occurrences just felt like adding ingredients to an already strong base. Like, I wanted to see Ari and Maya, the two main characters, go to a Fugazi show. So I set a scene at a real Fugazi show that I went to back in the 1990s. After the show, Ari having a melting attack felt like a natural place for the powers to get at the raw feeling of seeing an amazing concert and the comedown afterwards.

And Alex Diotto, co-creator and artist of the book, really brought everything to life in the most beautiful way. He balances quiet moments with extreme ones with ease and his pacing is perfect. The world feels lived in because of Alex.

5. You juxtapose these two things quite a bit, the fantastic and the mundane. What does this clash mean for you when it comes to changing up traditional superhero negatives?

I care less about the battle with the big bad and more about how the events of the story actually affect the characters. It’s just what I’m drawn to and want to read. I love superheroes and think there are so many fantastic takes that get at this kind of emotional grounding.

6. Why focus on more “normal” characters vs the fantastic ones?

Normal is relative. I think everyone in the book, regardless of their powers or abilities, is weird in their own way. And while some characters choose the route of being a hero, like Gamut, the traditional superhero who may be wrapped up in a murder or two, it seems more realistic that most people with powers would just be trying to get through their day. Ari’s dad is immortal and dies from pancreatic cancer every night only to be brought back to life. But his main goal is to watch Star Trek with his son.

7. A lot of “grounded” superhero stories take a much darker tack than this book, with books like Watchmen or The Boys making heroes seem monstrous rather than regular people like you’ve captured here (as far as we know so far). Do you think superpowered people (hero or no) are inevitably going down a dark path or can they remain normal?

Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? Maybe. And we see some of that in the book for sure. But I think it’s all degrees. The people with powers in A Ghost Arm Made of Angry Ghosts all make morally ambiguous choices throughout, some worse than others. I don’t think that having powers instantly sets you on a path to darkness, though. Or lightness for that matter. It’s just another thing you need to deal with in your already complex life.

A Ghost Arm Made of Angry Ghosts will land in stores on September 2, 2026.

Images via Oni Press

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