First Comics News: What was your first published comic book and how did it feel to see it published?
Kevin Cuffe: My first published work was with Bob (of course), Walter Ostlie & Chas Pangburn on Metalshark Bro. I think there’s a little too much emphasis placed on “published” vs “unpublished” when it comes to comics— Kickstarter or Zoop have both proven to be effective publishing platforms for creators, if you get your book finished and printed through crowdfunding platforms it’s still published, so it’s more of a distribution thing than a publishing one.
1st: Why do you enjoy writing?
Kevin: It’s more a question of what would we do with all these ideas if I wasn’t writing. I enjoy it because it allows us to put the comics we want to see made and get made.
1st: What kind of Sheriff is Carla McCord?
Kevin: Carla is a very self-aware character — you can tell by her informal nature with J.J. and Luis that she knows the folks in the town well. If you look at her character dynamics through the 4 issues, she’s the heart of the story. She’s frustrated by the fact that in a small town, her gender is an issue with her career but she’s still out there trying to do the right thing. She doesn’t have to be there like Agent Smith and she’s not stuck in the situation like JJ or Luis. She’s there because she cares about the town.
1st: Can you tell us what exactly a skeeter is?
Kevin: It’s one of the muppet babies they created for the cartoon, OH you mean in our book…
It’s Southern slang for a mosquito, the town is a small southern town built on a swamp…. So naturally they have lots of mosquitos
1st: Is “Skeeters” going to frighten anyone?
Kevin: It’s as much a horror book as say the movie “ Dead Alive” is or as much a comedy as “Slither” It exists in both places. Horror and comedy are both very subjective so— if you found it more funny than you did scary it’s a comedy, but the reverse can also be true. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
1st: Is this comic for anyone?
Kevin: Ideally I’m supposed to say yes to this question. But is any comic literally for anyone? We set out to make a B-horror comedy comic book and if you like old cheesy monster flicks like “Them” and darker humor— then this is for you. If you like other horror/comedy movies or Mystery Science theatre 3K types of things, you’ll like it.
But I’d imagine some folks won’t get it. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
1st: What would you do if you saw a skeeter in your home?
Kevin: You mean the muppet baby or the ones from the book? I mean muppet babies are kind of creepy… so… find a giant fly swatter?
1st: What is a “Metal Shark Bro” and how did you find writing it?
Kevin: It’s exactly what the title says it is. An anthropomorphic shark guy who likes metal. The comics we write tend to be fun, so we try to have fun while writing them so that translate when reading them. So if you like things like Adult Swim, Rick & Morty, or Aqua Teen Hunger Force you might enjoy Metalshark Bro.
1st: Who are the “Ninja Nuns” and what type of foes do they face?
Kevin: A group of highly trained nuns employed by the Catholic Church to find & eliminate supernatural threats. Think Charlie’s Angels with Nun habits (the headwear not like chain smoking ) finding things like the Flying Spaghetti Monster or an ancient god of excrement.
1st: What is a good lesson to remember about being a good writer?
Kevin: I think this is a better question for someone like Matt Fraction, Mark Waid, Becky Cloonan Kelly Sue DeConnick, or someone who IS a good writer. But you asked me so— I’d say remember comics are a collaborative medium, don’t be too precious about anything and collaborate with the artist, colorist, and letterer to make a good comic.
1st: Is there any current comic book that you have not worked on that you would like to?
Kevin: In a perfect world they’d let Bob & I write a Power Man & Iron Fist book, or if it’s DC a Booster & Beetle book. Maybe Rick & Morty? Or Captain Carrot? Creepshow? We’d write anything they will let us— have your people call our people, publishers.
1st: What do you have planned for your next writing project?
Kevin: We have a few things we are working on, but nothing completed yet— except for Mystic Melon which we worked on with artist Jeremy “Sketch” Brooks, colorist, Marcus Cripps, and editor Sara Harding. It’s absurdist humor about a cursed Melon-headed wizard who is stuck on our plane of existence trying to make a living.
1st: How would you say writing for a living has made your life better?
Kevin: It was nice to win a Ringo award, makes you feel like you aren’t screaming into the void when it comes to creating things. What makes life better is interacting with the people who love what we are doing, like you Richard.
1st: Any last words for the fans of your work?
Kevin: We have fans?
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