With the release of the Punk’n Heads graphic novel today from Top Shelf Productions, we are delighted to be joined by Eisner-nominated creators Dave Baker and Nicole Goux. Dave is a writer and illustrator. Dave has worked on numerous projects, including Forest Hills Bootleg Society, Everyone Is Tulip and Mary Tyler MooreHawk. Nicole is an illustrator and cartoonist. Nicole has worked on numerous projects, including F**k Off Squad, Forest Hills Bootleg Society, This Place Kills Me.
Hi Dave and Nicole, it’s so wonderful to have you both here with us.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Dave: I’m Dave Baker. I’m a writer and illustrator who you might know from books like Mary Tyler MooreHawk, Halloween Boy, and a select few titles with Nicole like Forest Hills Bootleg Society, Everyone Is Tulip, and F**k Off Squad.
Nicole: Hey I’m Nicole. As Dave mentioned, we’ve collaborated on several graphic novels you might know me for. I also write and draw my own work like Pet Peeves, work with other writers like Mariko Tamaki on This Place Kills Me. My work usually is slice of life and focuses on relationships and self actualization, but I’ve also done genre work like Shadow of the Batgirl with Sarah Kuhn at DC Comics.
Can you tell us about the origins of Punk’n Heads?
Dave: Punk’n Heads started as an idea that Nicole came up with. I’ll let her tell you about it.
Nicole: I have no idea where we were going, but Dave and I were on a road trip and the punk/pumpkins pun popped into my head. The idea of a punk band who wear pumpkin masks was so silly and something I felt like we could build into something more. Together Dave and I took what could have been a dumb idea (and maybe still is) and crafted it into a story with characters who are very real to me. Essentially, the story is about Hannah, Jerry, Morgan, and Birdie, 4 misfits who all live in a house together and play punk music, with all the relationship and scene politics that come with the territory and complicate things. Really though, the book is about artistic creation, and following the path of inspiration, even if it’s not the road you thought you were meant to take.
Dave, what can you tell us about Hanna, Jerry, Morgan and Rebecca?
Dave: The characters in this book are deeply personal for both Nicole and I. They serve as the backbone to the story and are largely based on real people we know. The book, as Nicole alluded to, is about living in Los Angeles, and trying to make it as an artist. It’s about trying to find a path forward in a place that feels extremely difficult to traverse sometimes. The band Punk’n Heads is a horror punk band, but it’s also more than that. It’s a little familial unit. And of course, whenever you have a family, you have conflict.
Nicole, you created all of the art for the Punk’n Heads. What part of that process did you enjoy the most?
Nicole: With almost all of my books, the thing I really relish is acting. It’s a pretty common truism that cartoonists have to be screenwriter, storyboard artists, cinematographer, actor, and the rest of the cast and crew all wrapped into one. For me the heart of being an “actor” is really getting to express the emotional core of our characters. Making the beats feel funny, or sad, or sincere, based on the expressions and body language of still images is a challenge, but so satisfying. If you ever see me working on comics, don’t comment on the ridiculous faces I make to see how my characters would express themselves.
Dave, how did Top Shelf Productions get involved with Punk’n Heads?
Dave: Well, I had a great working relationship with Chris from Top Shelf thanks to them putting out Mary Tyler MooreHawk. So, when it came time to find a home for Nicole and I’s next book, I sent it his way and he agreed to put it out. I really like working with Top Shelf because they’re extremely supportive of the authorial vision Nicole and I had for the printing of the book. They let us design it, (and by us, I mean Nicole), and they helped us make the book the best version of what we had in mind. It was a really great process.
Nicole, the main cast member, all have their own look. How did you go about giving each of them their own style?
Nicole: There’s a lot of crossover between punk kids and zine/comics kids, and the nature of the beast is that Dave and I have spent a lot of time in those spaces. There is so much diversity within that scene that I really wanted to express in these characters. They come from all different walks of life, from different parts of the country, from different income ranges, but there is a commonality in their love for music and the culture that surrounds it. With just five main characters we were barely able to scratch the surface of what you can find (though it was fun to play around with background characters).
Dave, what made Nicole the right artist for Punk’n Heads?
Dave: Well, the fact that the project was her idea, definitely helps. Haha. But also: Nicole and I have a shared passion for DIY artistic enterprises. And that’s what’s at the heart of this project. I knew that I just needed to write scenes that took place at zinefests and backyard punk shows for her to knock the visuals out of the park. She’s such a brilliant storyteller, that really you just need to make the work the best it can be, by getting out of her way. Whenever I needed an emotional punch to end a scene I knew Nicole’s art would be able to carry the acting and the drama. That’s a huge relief.
Nicole, what did you think when you read the script from Dave for Punk’n Heads?
Nicole: Well, Dave and I spent a lot of time talking about story and character before he even started writing it, so I had some idea what to expect. Our process is very collaborative and there’s a fluid back and forth of ideas, hopefully we’re always pushing each other to make our work better. After Dave goes and writes the script, we read it together out loud and mark down any comments or changes we have that would refine or make it better. This particular book went through many rounds of revisions to get it to a place we were happy with. And when I’m done drawing it, it goes through even more changes! Sometimes it feels like the work of comics creators is never done.
Dave, how much of your own real-life experiences are seen in the pages of Punk’n Heads?
Dave: A lot. I would say that all our work is very personal. But this might be the most personal. There’s something about trying to make it in LA that’s both a timeless tale and a universal stand-in for other difficult life experiences. Add to that the romantic struggles, and the balancing of the artistic ambition with realities of living? And yeah, it’s a very personal story for both of us.
Nicole, was it a change to bring Dave’s script to life?
Nicole: I’m guessing this is meant to be challenge?
Every script is a challenge. Comics are hard! But this script was crafted together and I feel a lot of ownership of it. Our process is really not me just executing someone else’s ideas. Dave and I have fostered a relationship where we are equal partners and we build a book together.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Dave: Please pick up Punk’n Heads April 7th, wherever you get comics. We’ve worked really hard on it, and I think it’s a pretty stellar book. Definitely some of Nicole’s best artistic efforts to date, which is really saying something.
Nicole: I think this book is very special. Dave and I have been working together for a long time and really developing a style and a point of view along the way. This book feels like the culmination of that (though we’re by no means done). So if you’ve ever enjoyed one of our other books, you’re definitely going to want to pick up this one. And tell your friends. And tell us how much you liked it. Artists really like to hear how much you liked it.
We would like to say a big thank you to Dave and Nicole for chatting with us and wish them the best of luck for the release of Punk’n Heads.
