Mystery and Bl is an awesome combination
Outside the action and horror of mines, there is a heavy dose of mystery that zones into individuals from a gay nightclub where one of the MCs frequents and another is a manager there.
Went for a Coastal New England type setting: modern, classic but also a gloomy old-English/European vibe: Creepy old lighthouses, museums, urban legends that retain an ominous feeling.
The comic is set in a fictional island called Heavensea, located in the North Pacific, influenced by British, American and Pirates of the 1700's-1800s (also tied to the plot). Early in the story, the MCs (two brothers) become unwilling super spreaders of a bizarre condition and Heavensea quickly becomes a ghost town crawling with deadly monsters. The detailed environments echo a once peaceful town and play an important role as the MCs interact with various props and reveal more about themselves to the reader.
As you said, also wanted to put the reader in an 'unsafe world where anything could happen at any moment' and any new person met feels sus. As it's a fictional place, I can be a bit flexible to accommodate other parts of the plot. Through the sheltered eyes of Owen (the younger MC), the reader can also share his sense of unfamiliarity.
Overlook Place: a hillside park that overlooks the two MCs hometown, Gunnhildr Way. The statue in bg is a tomb for a female pirate, Lady Gunnhildr whom the town was named after.
Gunnhildr High School the most recent location in comic, echoes life that once was and reveals more about the two MCs' family dynamic
map and national flag of Heavensea
