This week, I interviewed my boss, and perennial success story, Luke Herr, about his ongoing Kickstarter project. Hit the jump to see more.
N:So, Luke, I understand you write comics. If comics were a vegetable, would you eat them?
LH: Not really – they’d be like $15 a pound if you are lucky.
N: Right, right. That just doesn’t make any sort of monetary success. So, you’ve got a Kickstarter going on right now-What’s that like? Have your kicks been sufficiently started?
LH: While we have gained enough money to print out ERAS: Parrish, James and I have two more levels that we want to reach.
N: I see. And what can loyal followers of the Church of Luke and James do to support you in this endeavor?
LH: We have a Kickstarter that you can just buy the comic from and we have a few donation levels so buy it and tell your friends.
N: If we don’t have friends, who is the next social level we should tell about your book?
LH: You can put it on your Facebook, Twitter, Omegle or other digital social network.
N: Great! I hear the internet is really catching on with the youth. What’s your book about, by the way?
LH: ERAS: Parrish is a reinvention/reimagining of Ted Parrish, the Man of 1000 Faces.
N: How did you go about re-imagining Ted Parrish? How long ago was he created, and what made you latch onto him for this story?
LH: Ted Parrish was this Golden Age superhero created by Bob Powell. In the comics, Parrish was an actor who’d dress up like various evil ethnicities and enemies of freedom. I kind of wanted to find some alternate way of thinking about this character and giving him actual pathos and characterization.
N: Without the racism, right?
LH: Yep!
N: Would you say that racism is the biggest reason for the decline of the comic book medium in the modern era?
LH: No. I think the problems are a mix of single lane distribution and a disconnect between the editorial and creative teams.
N: Racist editorial?
LH: I don’t want to say racism isn’t an issue in modern comics but most editors aren’t racist or at least actively racist.
N: What does James bring to your collaboration?
LH: James is a fantastic artist who brings really expressive art that is perfect for the comic. Also, all the single ladies.
N: If you had to compare your collaboration to one fictional team, who would you say you most resemble?
LH: Heroes For Hire
N: Who is whom?
LH: I am Hercules and James is Moon Knight
N: You’ve got two stretch goals left. What will you do if these are achieved as well? What more will you do for the entertainment of your audience?
LH: The next goal is $300 and if we reach that, every signed issue of the comic will be printed in color. If we get $350 we will post the comic online for free.
N: And if you reach 400?
LH: If we reach $400 I’ll have a big surprise.
N: Will you buy cake for all the donators?
LH: I don’t think I’d have the ability to give cake to everyone.
N: Just your favorites?
LH: I want to go to FablesCon so if any donators are there I will give them cake.
N: You heard it here first, folks. Will you and James be collaborating on anything else after Ted Parrish?
LH: The next project we will be working on is called Prison Spaceship.
N: Can you give us a teaser phrase for that?
LH: Prison Spaceship: The Only Way To Break Out, Is To Take It Over.
N: Excellent! Very close to the best teaser phrase for anything ever.
Where can people meet you in person over the coming months, if they don’t want to go to the effort of stalking you?
LH: It is hard to say. The next convention I want to go to is FablesCon but it all depends on life falling into place.
N: Alright, and as an official purveyor of a successful Kickstarter, any words of advice for people who want to make a good one?
LH: Have a product worth buying that you’d pour your own money into if you needed.
N: Great. And where can people find you on the Interior Net?
LH: I am the editor in chief of Nerdcenaries, I am on Twitter as Koltreg and I have a tumblr as well.
