I had the opportunity interview the awesome writer, Kevin Watkins. Kevin took his time to talk about his upcoming comic book, Listen to the Thunder, and the process involved with creating it. Kevin and Adam McLaughlin will be at The Comic Cave on Wednesday for the release party of Listen to the Thunder and to sign comic books.
Check out our interview and make sure to join them on Wednesday October 26th at The Comic Cave.
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Geeky KOOL (GK): The Listen to the Thunder Release Party is this Wednesday October 26 at The Comic Cave in Springfield, MO from 10 am to 7 pm. What can comic fans expect when they show up at the Comic Cave on Wednesday?
Kevin Watkins (KW): Comic fans can expect a few things…If your were a Kickstarter, and you requested a Release Party pickup, you can pick up your Rewards at the Release Party…Adam and I put something extra in the package for not having to mail. Also, Street, non-Kickstarter, copies will be available…Cover A, limited amount of Cover B (The Comic Cave Exclusive Variant by artist Stepane Roux), and Sketch Covers for $50. And finally, T-shirts will be available for purchase. Adam and I will be happy to rap with anyone about the comic and other questions that may come up.
(GK): If someone cannot make the Release party, how can they pick up a copy of Listen to the Thunder?
(KW): The Comic Cave will have copies for sale. They can reach out to Adam and I on our facebook page. Also, listentothethunder.com is under construction, and will up soon for purchases too. Comixology, the premiere digital site for comics, will have the book for sale too.
(GK): Tell our readers a little bit about Listen to the Thunder what they can expect when they pick up this comic.
(KW): Listen to the Thunder is about generations of werewolves and how tribes survive throughout time. The first story arc takes place in a small Midwestern town called Whisper.
(GK): The story seems to focus on the Dorne family, who happen to be members of a Werewolf pack. Tell us a little bit about the characters and their relationship to each other.
(KW): The Dorne Tribe can be traced all the back to the Middle-Ages. Cale is the leader of the tribe and Caleb is his son. Samson is Caleb’s adoptive brother. The symbol of Dorne means: Two silver swords…one for the king to keep the tribe in check…and one for the heir to keep the king in check. The first story arc…called Whisper…is about Cale, the king, coming to get his son, Caleb back, due to a very tragic event that happened to the tribe.
(GK): What was your driving motivation in creating this indie horror comic?
(KW): Ha…that’s a great story. Listen to the Thunder was originally planned as a novel. Adam asked me three years ago what I was working on, and I told him. He was really enthralled with the story and the characters…plus having knights as werewolves really perked his interest. So…a few weeks later…Adam surprised me with some conceptual designs…literally blew me away. My wife, Audrey, took one look and said…Babe…it should be a comic.
(GK): Tell our readers a little about the process of creating an indie comic from developing the story to picking the artist, Adam McLaughlin, to getting the story and art into comic form and printed.
(KW): The more collaborative the process is the better. As a writer, you have to convince an artist to believe in the story and characters. I treat a comic like a movie…script meetings, story boards, and soundtracks…I always give Adam a mix CD of what I was listening to while writing. We were fortunate to have a successful Kickstarter…but that wasn’t launched until the book was virtually done. Then there is all the marketing leading up to the Kickstarter launch, the marketing during the Kickstarter campaign, then after you fund…you go to work. Post production page preparation, printer correspondence, Reward preparation and packing…all the fun stuff with running a small indie comic company. It has been a huge learning experience for Adam and I, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
(GK): When can we expect the second issue of Listen to the Thunder?
(KW): Adam and I hit the road to tour to get issue 1 in the hands of more readers…our first stop will be in Conway, Arkansas…for Comic Con-way the first weekend in December. We are hoping for a healthy response to issue 1, so we can get started on issue 2 as soon as possible. Adam and I both have day jobs…so the more copies of issue 1 we sell, the sooner we can get started on issue 2.
(GK): Thank you, Kevin, for your time and the wonderful interview. I cannot wait to read Listen to the Thunder on Wednesday.
(KW): Thank you Larry for taking time and doing the interview. And thank you so much for your support…means a lot.
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I hope to have an interview with Listen to the Thunder’s fantastic artist, Adam McLaughlin, in an upcoming interview (Now Posted here).
Stay Geeky My Friends!
