I interviewed Joe Hunter, the writer and artist of Ghost Bucket, and Punchclock Hero, as well as the artist of Changeling.
N: So, for those unfortunate individuals who aren’t aware of your talent, can you say who you are, and name some projects that you’re working on?
JH: I’m Joe Hunter and I make stuff. Currently, I write and draw Ghostbucket which is usually sort of a lightly fictionalized autobio comic but sometimes I’ll do these short and completely fictional comics. I also draw Changeling written by Luke Herr and throw color onto (and pray to the almighty that I’m not ruining) strips for THE RACK by Kevin Church and Benjamin Birdie.
(Talent…?)
N: What is it like working for Luke Herr? Is it true that his scripts involve dark rituals no longer known to man?
Hahahaa. “Work for”. Like he pays me. One time I watched him devour the still-warm entrails of a goat while chanting “MAMA SE MAMA SA MA MAKU SA” over and over… and THEN he kicked a puppy.
You tell me what it’s like.
N: What are some of your artistic influences? In the same vein, your strips are frequently hilarious; do you have some humorous influences you can share as well?
JH: This is probably going to sound dumb as hell, but I think my biggest influences would most likely have to be my friendy-type people. Just looking at stuff they’ve done and either figuring out or asking how they did something I liked? If that makes sense? I don’t know. My friends are some of my favorite cartoonists and it’s sort weird seeing that typed out in front of me. Crap.
Humour-wise? Man, I’ve really never considered myself as being that funny. I’ve always had this weird, sort of dark, dry sense of humor where I can see the humor in things that are sort of awkward and aren’t exactly funny when taken at face value, but I’ve been told that a lot of comedy comes from not being funny, so maybe that’s it?. I don’t know. Louie or Parks and Recreation are probably two of the best written comedies on TV right now. I love Gravity Falls and I freaking love pretty much anything created by Bryan Fuller… no matter how quickly it ends up getting cancelled.
That all said, I still enjoy a well-written dick and/or fart joke.
N: What’s the last movie you watched that didn’t involve Batman?
Summer Wars.
N: Do you listen to music while you draw? What kind?
JH: SURE DO! I’m kind of all over the place music-wise and what I listen to depends on mood, blah blah blah, you know. Let’s see… according to Spotify, my most listened artists right now are The Go! Team, Metric, Trampled By Turtles, Jenny Owen Youngs, and Superchunk?
Okay, not quite so all over the place right now, but that’ll probably change.
N: On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think this interview went?
JH:Which number constitutes wild, panicked flailing? (Editor’s note: It’s 3)
N: Do you have anything else you’d like to plug?
JH: I just finished a short, three page comic for an anthology that probably won’t end up happening, so look for that never! Or whenever I end up posting it somewhere.
