INTERVIEW  

Where were you born?  Where did you grow up?

I was born in Garden City, Michigan and grew up in and around Detroit. During the high school years, my parents moved us to the back woods... quite a culture shock! From urban desolation to miles and miles of corn fields... at least it was safer!

Schooling?  Art training?

Graduate of Michigan State University with a
degree in English. Additional film/video schooling through Columbia in Chicago and more work at the Children's Literature Institute out of Maryland.

How long have you been working professionally in comics? 

Very recently in comics. I have been a pretty prolific screenwriter for about 9 years and
have begun the jump to my first love... comics! 

My first project was a short piece for a Danish graphic novel called Project 9800, I am currently self-publishing the horror/comedy mini-series called Easter Falls and have recently signed on to write the ongoing series The Stormchasers , an Avengers-like team. I just want to do it all!

What things -- both in art and otherwise -- have you worked on, besides comics?  Are comics a full-time gig for you or part-time?

Comics are part-time right now but I'd like to ramp it up. Currently I write films and do a lot of acting... total extrovert! 

Recently I've sold quite a few straight to DVD projects including Riverdead, a slasher film, Vampegeddon, a vampire film and The Good, The Bad and the Undead, a zombie film, to Out o Pocket Films in Arizona. Hipswitch in the UK is shooting my script of Murderotica, a little homage piece to Italian giallo directors like Mario Bava. 

Recent releases (go to the video store, now!) are Shower of Blood from Brain Damage Films, Back Woods from Sub Rosa and the upcoming Machined that is making a run at Lion's Gate. Fiction is another love of mine as well as non-fiction writing. My book, "Muddled Mind: The Complete Works of Ed Wood, Jr." has gotten some great praise from 'scholars' and fans alike.

Talk about how you broke into the business --was it easy? Hard? Ups? Downs?

Comics is defintely a harder business to break into than film and I can't quite figure out why! It is very closed, protected in a way. 

I think the medium is limitless, but there are a lot of people out there that don't respect the medium and that translates into lazy work.
Books without a flow. I don't want to be that guy! Holding that first work, though... man. It is completely different than previewing on a computer screen. It's tactile... like a child (as if I'd know).

Did you work as an assistant to any other writers? If so, please talk a bit
about those experiences. 

Not really. I pretty much jumped in feet first!

How did your parents take to the idea of working in comics? 

They really like it! I'm not running around, menacing twenty-something ingénues on the big screen doing comics. They find it less embarrassing to tell their friends.

How would you describe your workspace? Is it part of your home, or do you go
"to the studio"?

Workplace is definitely integrated into my home. I'm a serious multi-tasker. I write when I'm doing laundry, when I'm eating. It's pretty intensive at times. And annoying to my wife!

I think it blends horror and comedy very well, almost seamlessly. You might feel ashamed for laughing. Most embarrassing... hmmm. That has to be the film Desert Man Beast. It's a good story, lots of fun. Mostly an homage to the monster movies of the 50s starring Tor Johnson. 

The embarrassing part is I
play the title character, in full Sasquatch mode. Turn away... I cannot!

What are you currently doing?  Comments on that project? 

I'm currently doing page layouts for another self-published title called Cherub. Pretty top secret right now, but very disturbing. It'll be my first attempt at pencilling something since high school... which was a VERY long time ago.

Talk about your family: Parents, siblings, home situation.

Married, happily, with a very spoiled cat! No children yet. My wife is absolutely the most supportive person I've ever met! She meets each of my new, stupid ideas with excitement and helps to foster them through... I couldn't ask for anyone better. My parents and sister (who recently gave me my first niece, the gorgeous Sydney) are also very supportive. Michigan isn't the most artist-friendly place to grow up, especially where we did, but they never let that get to me. I am completely
appreciative.

What projects do you hope to work on in the future? 

Short list or long list?! I really would like to play in the Marvel or DC Universe. Those two
companies have some of the greatest characters ever created, and not even half of their stories have been told yet! I'd also like to create a world of my own, a universe where I am the ultimate puppet master!

Where do you see yourself in five years?  ten?

Five years from now I'll be approaching forty... so I think I'd be scared. Joking! In five years I hope to have set the comic world on it's collective ear. Ten years from now, I'd like to kept my quality of work up and continued to bring something new to the industry. Innovative... that is what I want people to remember.

What is the interest in comics where you live? Do friends and neighbors know
you write comics for a living?  How do they react?

There really isn't much interest in Arizona right now. I have my core friends that are all
interested in comics, horror, sci fi, etc. but the general public, aside from the mainstream, isn't that into it. This is much different in areas like Chicago, New York and LA where these pursuits are not only tolerated but encouraged.

What's 1 thing you'll always find in your refrigerator? 

Low-carb tortillas. I live on those things. Little peanut butter... mmmmmm.

What's your favorite food? 

Pizza. Deep dish, Chicago-style pizza with lots
and lots of sausage.

What are your favorite interests --Movies?  Music?  TV?  Any hobbies? 
Sports?: I am very involved in the movie scene and try and watch as many as possible. Also a big pro-wrestling geek. I don't know why, I just love that redneck soap opera.

Ever been in a gang? 

Yeah, the Tubby Tumblers. We were the original fat boys... EAST SIDE!

What's an average day in your life like?  Walk us through a typical day. 

Up around 9 am and have about three million cups of coffee. Depending on the day, I try to schedule appearances or meetings in the am,  or shoots as early as I can. Lunch meeting, invariably when I'm running out of time, and
back home to work on the 'project of the day.' Countless interruptions later, a quick fix of CSI reruns and then back to work until about 10pm.

Watch a movie, clean up the day's work and in bed around 2am. Not exciting, but it works! This is, of course, the daily average if I'm not on a set somewhere throwing myself down a hill (don't ever advertise yourself as the
only fat guy that does his own stunts in town... ouch).

Any humorous or interesting anecdotes to tell about the comics business?
None yet (but I'm working on it), unless they are from a fan perspective. Let's just say, Comicons + 40 year old men that live in their mother's basement = not a lot of deodorant. Peeew!

Do you have any great, unsold projects in your files that nobody's gotten to
see published? 

Definitely! One title, the Rot, is an anti-hero allegory that has his origins and mythology based in big government and religious zealots.
That is a dangerous combination!

If you weren't a writer today, what would you be? 

Definitely would focus more on acting. Right now, that's a hobby but I could, I think, make it a career.

Have you taught comic-book writing or had any assistants?  If so, talk about
that. 

Never had an assistant or taught... but that is a hell of an idea! Let me get the ad together now, "Wanted: All Around Slave and Writer's
Assistant. Pay? Whatever. Glory awaits!" Think that'll work?

The single thing you'd most like to be remembered for in your life is...?

No matter what he tried to do, David Hayes brought his "A" Game every time. He
was innovative, dedicated and told great stories. He was a great storyteller... period.

Any closing words for your fans? 

I have fans?