With the Kickstarter campaign live for the Host Mortem graphic novel from Clover Press, we are delighted to be joined by Kevin Shinick. Kevin is a host, an Emmy winning writer and comic book creator.
Hi Kevin, it’s so nice to have you here with us.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
I’d be happy to. My name is Kevin Shinick and I’m the guy you’ve probably never heard of who’s had a hand in expanding many of the things you most definitely HAVE heard of: Star Wars, Spider-Man, MAD Magazine, Robot Chicken, Batman, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Mike Tyson Mysteries,The Flash, Scooby-Doo and Carmen Sandiego to name a few.
Could you tell us about the origins of Host Mortem?
Host Mortem is my graphic novel about two fake detective game show hosts from the 1990’s who have to solve a series of real murders in the 1940’s. I had always wanted to write an adult murder mystery and when I sat down to create a unique new protagonist, it dawned on me that I played myself as a time travelling detective on Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? and I probably couldn’t get any more unique than that.
How did Greg Lee and yourself end up in Host Mortem?
I wanted the murder mystery to take place in the 1940’s, because I love film noir and I love that time period. And since I was returning to my time travelling roots, I knew I’d have no problem getting the story there, but when I thought of how Greg Lee used to host Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? as a classic gumshoe detective from that same era, I knew he was the right person to come on board to help navigate that decade.
What made Damien Torres and Andrea Schiavone the right artists for Host Mortem?
I met with a number of talented artists, but when I saw Damien’s work it really captured the style and imagery I wanted to convey. And since Host Mortem is a 180+ graphic novel that utilizes different character narrations, I reached out to Andrea because I had fallen in love with his “golden age” style and thought it would add a great layer to the period story.
How did Damien Torres, Andrea Schiavone, Pippa Bowland and Taylor Esposito join the Host Mortem team?
Having spent a lot of time writing comics of my own (W.E.B. of Spider-Man, Batman, The Flash, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc) I’m well connected to talented artists. So it was really a matter of coming up with a premise and story that would make them want to be a part of it.
Host Mortem is releasing as a graphic novel. Is releasing Host Mortem in the graphic novel format important to you?
I think all great projects tell you what they should be. My original idea for a murder mystery was a TV pilot, but the more I got into it and the more I realized I should be one of the detectives involved, it became apparent that this would work really well as a graphic novel. That’s not to say I won’t continue these tales as regular novels or TV shows or additional comics, but it seemed Host Mortem’s first outing was destined to be a graphic novel.
Can you tell us about the world that Host Mortem is set in?
The action of Host Mortem begins at Comic Con but quickly travels to the 1940’s. I find this time period to be ripe with the crime, mysteries, femme fatales and down on their luck detectives that you find in most film noirs. Plus I have an affinity for that time period. So it’s got humor, hosting and homicide all in one book.
How did Clover Press get involved with Host Mortem?
When Clover Press heard about the premise of Host Mortem they reached out to me about coming on board as the publisher. Which thrilled me, because if you know their work you know how their books are like works of art. When I was first coming up with the idea of Host Mortem and assembling my creative team I knew I was making more than just a really great murder mystery, I was creating something I hoped readers would want to display in their libraries and as part of their collection. Between the talented artists I’ve hired and Clover Press publishing, if Host Mortem winds up on shelves between Clover’s other offerings like Dick Tracy and The Spirit then I know I’ve done something right.
How would you describe Host Mortem?
I usually describe Host Mortem as L.A. Confidential meets The In-Laws, because Greg Lee and I, despite having hosted variations of Carmen Sandiego, didn’t officially meet until recently, so our different personalities coming together both in the story and in real life had a certain Odd Couple quality that added to the humor of the adventure. Which revolves around a murder that’s connected to the (now) classic film noir The Big Sleep. And the question becomes are hosts smart enough to solve a murder? Or are they just used to having the answers?
Do you have a favourite Kickstarter reward?
Absolutely! I’ve tried to be unique in coming up with rewards so some of my favorites (aside from the usual ones of original panel art and the chance to be murdered off in the story) include my offer to perform voice over narration for someone else’s project, evaluation of other people’s scripts and chances for backers to connect with Greg and I on video, zoom or in person. I’m also offering up memorabilia from my personal MAD, Robot Chicken and Carmen Sandiego collections that you won’t find anywhere else.
Can you tell us what projects you are currently working on?
I’ve been performing a lot lately. Most of which I can’t announce just yet, but the one I can mention is that I’ll be playing legendary TV host Dick Clark in the upcoming Michael Jackson feature film. So an added bonus reward for backers will be that they’re not just getting a signed book from creator Kevin Shinick, they’ll be getting one signed by the Kevin Shinick who was also the first to play Dick Clark on the big screen.
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Just that I’m excited for them to read Host Mortem. It’s my first original graphic novel and after a lifetime of writing comic books I’ve put all that experience into creating what I consider to be an epic adventure. Then to have the creative team I’ve gathered bring their talents to it has only given me the confidence to say you will not be disappointed! So I suggest following us on Kickstarter or at HostMortem.com to be the first to hear about our launch date, our big announcement about a celebrity artist cover and our early bird specials. They can also follow me across social media @KevinShinick.
The one-of-a-kind book will also feature covers from beloved Batman and Dracula: The Impaler artist Kelley Jones, Tony Foti, Timothy Anderson, and Damien Torres. Kickstarter tiers include original art from the book, critical evaluation of work-in-progress comic books, offers of voice over narration on your next animated project, and striking covers by Jones, Foti, Anderson, and Torres.
We would like to say a big thank you to Kevin for chatting with us, and we would like to wish him the best of luck with Host Mortem.
Fee free to check out Host Mortem on Kickstarter.
