Sarah Gailey Interview - Neighborhood Watch

[00:00:00] - [Speaker 0]
Your ears do not deceive you. You have just entered the cryptid creator corner brought to you by your friends at Comic Book Yeti. So without further ado, let's get on to the interview.

[00:00:11] - [Speaker 1]
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[00:00:35] - [Speaker 1]
Or subscribe digitally, and you can download DRM free copies of each issue for only $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible comics every month for less than $10. Head to 2,000 AD and click on subscribe now or download the 2,000 AD app and start reading today. Hello, and welcome to Comic Book Yeti's Cryptid Creator Corner podcast. I am one of your hosts, Jimmy Gasparo.

[00:01:01] - [Speaker 1]
And boy, oh, boy, am I excited about today's guest. They were last on the podcast a little over three years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. In January '23 with Liana Kangas, to talk about, know your station, which I have my copy of the trade here, which was something, a series that I really loved and and I very much enjoyed. They have a new book out from Boom Studios.

[00:01:29] - [Speaker 1]
As we record this, I think issue one actually comes out tomorrow. So as you're listening to this, you should be able to get issue one, and you'll be on time to get issue two, and that comes out in May, I think, May 22. It's called neighborhood watch from Boom Studios. Please welcome to the podcast, Sarah Gailey. Sarah, how are you doing today?

[00:01:49] - [Speaker 2]
I am so thrilled to be here. I am hanging in there and mentally so stable and normal.

[00:01:56] - [Speaker 1]
Good. Well, I mean, I think you're doing better than a lot of us then. It's it's a it's a rough time, but we're all just doing our best, I think, most of us. But, yeah, in any event, I had such a great conversation with you and Liana last time the two of you were on with with New York Station. I really enjoyed eat the rich, which was, I think, the first series of yours that I was aware of in terms of your your comic work.

[00:02:28] - [Speaker 1]
And then, I know from last time when you were on I don't know. I I think it it came up at some point about American Hippo, which I had not I don't think I had heard of it or maybe I had just in preparing for the interview I had saw, and and I I thought I had asked about it, but, I bought it after the, after the interview, and I think I read it that summer, you know, when my average oh, my average. My, annual family summer, you know, beach vacation. And I just loved, American Hippo. I just I just thought it was for listeners, if you don't know, if you didn't listen to the last episode, it it's it's it's really like two short stories.

[00:03:18] - [Speaker 1]
I mean, not not really short stories. More like novellas that are, you know, river of teeth is one, I think. I apologize. I cannot remember the second one, but they're combined. You can get both of them.

[00:03:29] - [Speaker 1]
Yes. Yes. Of course. And you can get both of them in American Hippo. And, yeah, I loved it.

[00:03:37] - [Speaker 1]
Like, I I thought it was so good. I thought the premise was, like, so interesting. Listeners, all you need to know is this this like, it's a bit of a, like, an alternate history, whereas, let's just say the US government brings in hippos as, like, a food source and things go wrong. And now there's hippos all along the Mississippi. It's it's really good.

[00:04:01] - [Speaker 1]
Thank you

[00:04:02] - [Speaker 2]
so much. I'm so thrilled that you decided to read it. Oh my gosh.

[00:04:06] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, yeah. No. And I it was so so funny because I interviewed Fred Kennedy recently, and Fred is a writer who, he has a book out right now with Mad Cave called the Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre. And, like, part of the idea is that there's, like, this hippo park in Florida and things go bad, and the hippos get a bunch of drugs and bad times ensue. It's set in the nineties.

[00:04:35] - [Speaker 1]
And just reading it, it's it just reminded me of it, like, the the danger of hippos. And I was like, have you ever read American Hippo? And Brett's like, no. I'm like, you should. Because it's really good.

[00:04:47] - [Speaker 1]
And I can't believe that, like, two of my favorite things now are are are hippo based. But, yeah, it was

[00:04:54] - [Speaker 2]
I love it.

[00:04:55] - [Speaker 1]
I so enjoyed I so enjoyed American I just so enjoyed American hippo. I mean, it just I I just thought such a like, such an interesting idea, an interesting premise, you know, and the this idea of essentially, like, you know, cowboys riding hippos, and it was it was great. Riverboat camping. Is

[00:05:16] - [Speaker 2]
a is a wild west where the cowboys are riding hippos instead of horses.

[00:05:22] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I I just thought I thought it was it was so good. I, like, thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed it. Really glad that, I you know, really glad that I got it, read it, and yeah. So this is one of those things that I you just like, I I don't know.

[00:05:41] - [Speaker 1]
I don't know why it works as you know, the idea works as well as it does. I mean, because you're an incredible writer, is is the answer. But I was just, like, giddy reading it. I'm like, this is this is ridiculous. This idea that we're gonna these there's hippos loose in the Mississippi, but it it really makes sense in the context of, like, the the world you've, you know, you've kind of set up.

[00:06:06] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Photo's great. Photo's great. So we're listeners. You need something to read.

[00:06:10] - [Speaker 1]
You need something to read this summer. Go get American Hippo. That's it's my type of beach read. That's it's it's what I wanna I wanna sit in on the beach, and that's what I wanna do. I mean, but yeah.

[00:06:22] - [Speaker 1]
So I just thoroughly enjoyed American Hippo. So I wanted to start start off by saying that.

[00:06:27] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, thank you.

[00:06:28] - [Speaker 1]
And yeah. So your new comic for Boom Studios with artist Haining.

[00:06:37] - [Speaker 2]
Haining. Yeah.

[00:06:38] - [Speaker 1]
Haining? Oh, I apologize. Haining is neighborhood watch. You were kind enough to make sure that a review copy was sent over, so I got to read it and a a in advance because I do think issue one comes out tomorrow as we record this. Okay.

[00:06:55] - [Speaker 1]
There's a mystery at the heart of this is what I'll say. You know, this is one of those things I don't wanna, like, give away too much, but you introduce us you and Hining introduce us to Willow Haven and the the HOA at Willow Haven and as well as the the, like, intentional collective and the

[00:07:17] - [Speaker 2]
names arms. Yeah.

[00:07:18] - [Speaker 1]
Yep. Yes. And, we kind of the comic goes back and forth to introduce us to both of these these two communities. We see from, like, the first page that it appears somebody has been attacked or or or murdered from the the very first page, although we don't really see who anybody is. And, yeah, we we kinda see these very different communities and kinda work our way to what to what the, like, the crux of the mystery is.

[00:07:49] - [Speaker 1]
First off, 10 out of 10. Totally captivated my imagination as to what was going on. I I loved all these kind of characters and how you've set up the community both communities. One of the things I will say is both the HOA and the the the the collective, they're having, like, a a you know, about the gardening club or what whatever the actual name of it is that they're having their meeting, and we we see them. What's the the the HOA ends their meeting with a line that is honestly simply chilling.

[00:08:30] - [Speaker 1]
Like, if you if you can't see it, you can't report it. So that's the kinda that's the kind of homeowners association that we're dealing with. But, yeah, I just I I loved it. I just thought, oh, I could get lost in this world. Yeah.

[00:08:50] - [Speaker 1]
Very you've you've set it up with some very interesting characters. I loved Hining's artwork. But why don't you tell listeners? Just talk to me about, you know, neighborhood watch now. And kind of I also am curious how it has to how you see this fitting in with your, like, you know, oeuvre of comics work from eat the rich to know your station and now Neighborhood Watch.

[00:09:14] - [Speaker 2]
I mean, I'm I'm so excited that it's about to be out. It comes out, I guess, you said, as we're recording, it hits shelves tomorrow. And this one is so dear to my heart. Getting to work with Hining has incredible. They're an unbelievably skilled artist.

[00:09:31] - [Speaker 2]
Every single thing that I teed up in the script, they just walloped into another dimension. And especially the work that they've done on the structure of the panels has been incredible. It's just, like, so structurally adventurous. I don't know. I'm a big Yeah.

[00:09:50] - [Speaker 2]
A big dork for page structure in comics and

[00:09:53] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, yeah. Me too. I wanna I wanna get into that. Well, I wanna talk about that.

[00:09:58] - [Speaker 2]
Okay. I will I will will spoil but, no, it it's been just unbelievable getting to work with them and this is a concept that I have been kicking around for some time and I brought to my editor Elizabeth Bray at Boom Studios and said, I I really wanna do this one and we got it across the plate, we got it, you know, through all the pitching process and then it was like, now how do you write this? Because I'm writing two very disparate communities having very disparate experiences of the same event and trying to do that in '22 pages like, there's just not there's no real estate to work with. But it's it's been amazing to work on. And honestly, in this one, I've gotten to make so many stupid jokes, which is my favorite part of writing is just making making my stupid little jokes.

[00:10:57] - [Speaker 2]
And then you asked about how this fits in with Eat the Rich and Know Your Station. And I will say, eagle eyed readers will see a continuity with the communities of both of those series. And even if you completely ignore that continuity, you'll see a continuity of theme because this one is, as always, looking at the way that class disparity and income disparity impacts different communities that are in the same location, with some particular perspective I'm bringing to the page on that, And readers who stick with us through issue five will see that I have dispensed of any and all subtlety in that perspective.

[00:11:48] - [Speaker 1]
Well, yeah. I I mean, I don't know if I if if, if anyone would would say that, you know, you you are a a subtle writer. I mean, we you know, you you come out of the gate swinging with Eat the Rich. A little tough. I mean, the whole for re for for listeners who have read, like, know your station.

[00:12:09] - [Speaker 1]
I mean, the whole beginning of know your station, where you go through you know, know your station opens up with, you know, the CEOs or the the different the CTO, like, the CSO of, like, all of of, I guess, of the station, of the ship that they're on and what everyone else's potential job could be. And, like, it's I mean, it's it's it's it's rough in terms of if you're just like a regular person working on this ship. You know? Again, but it's also called know your station, so that it works on several levels. Yeah.

[00:12:50] - [Speaker 1]
I also one of the things you you've just brought up, and I jumped in to say I wanted to talk about it. I I love thinking about how you can also, you know, use everything in the comic to tell your story. It was something Dave Chisholm, I I interviewed him, and it's something Dave said that, like, everything you can do, every decision you can make in in how to lay out a comic is a chance to tell the story. Yeah. I just from the very opening, just to talk about after you get that, like, the first splash page.

[00:13:24] - [Speaker 1]
But when we we see the welcome to Willow Haven, and it is set up in like, there are the Willow Haven sign in the center and eight panels in a very nice, like, very nice geometric shapes, like, the page is split up into. And then when we go to meet the community of open arms intentional collective, like, the you know, it it almost looks like, you know, tree roots or like a meandering stream. Like, not there's there is not a right angle, on the page at all. And just like little things like that, I think, are, you know, very clever to get a sense of you know because you're you're all just by that just by that layout, you're telling us things about about that that community, about both communities. Yeah.

[00:14:19] - [Speaker 1]
I love that. I love little nods little nods like that. I also love little

[00:14:24] - [Speaker 2]
little jokes. So much of that layout is Hining's vision. You know, I said, I want these layouts to look different among the different communities, and I want the the colors to look different. You might notice also that, our incredible colorist, Rebecca Nalte, did like different, gutter coloring for each community's kind of setting and that's, you know, in my scripts, right, I'm just trying my best to communicate to the artists an idea and then they run with it. And Hainning and Rebecca absolutely did that.

[00:15:04] - [Speaker 2]
They, like, picked up that football and just raced all the way down the field and made these incredibly stunning choices about panel shape and gutter color and then color story within the panels to make it so that the reader always knows where they are.

[00:15:23] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I I mean, that just and just little things that, like, even so after we get page pages two and three and we we see, you know, Willow Haven. I I keep wanting to say the wrong thing. Open arms. Right?

[00:15:35] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Open arms.

[00:15:36] - [Speaker 2]
Open arms.

[00:15:36] - [Speaker 1]
And then yeah. So then the neck like, the fourth page, we go back to Willow Haven, and, like, the very first panel is in the shape of the Willow Haven sign. And then same thing with the page after that when we're back to open arms, the very first panel is the the the shape of, like, the open arms collect like, little things like that. I was just like, oh, okay. Like, I see what we're kinda doing here and how how we're laying this out.

[00:16:06] - [Speaker 1]
I just love those little touches. Very creative, very clever. Yeah. So it was just yeah. And and the characters that you have, put in them are are characters.

[00:16:20] - [Speaker 1]
Like, you have some very, like, very interesting very interesting folks. Like, they just, you know, seem like, they're just also all telling part of, you know, this story. What was that like like in trying, you know, to figure out, like, well, you have two communities here. You do have a lot of a lot of potential in terms of all the different characters. Like, what was important for you story wise as to who you wanted us to the reader to meet, like, right away, and who did you you know?

[00:16:52] - [Speaker 1]
And I'm sure we have some characters we're gonna meet later on as the story goes into it. But what what what did you wanna set up story wise for for us to meet? Like, what type of folks did you wanna fill out the story with first?

[00:17:05] - [Speaker 2]
You know, I've been part of both of these communities. I've been part of very suburban communities, and I've been part of very, like, intentional collective, you know, cooperative communities. And for me, the key to realistically understanding both types of communities is that, everyone is human, everyone is complex and everyone is annoying. It's just it's just how it is. There's no utopia where no one's annoying.

[00:17:39] - [Speaker 2]
Everyone When you're When you live in a suburban gated community with an HOA and a community pool where everyone's following all the rules, your neighbors irritate you. And when you live in a co op where everyone is the same kind of leptis you are, everyone votes for the same people you do, everyone composts the same way you do, people are annoying. It's just- Yeah. That's the only way to keep this grounded in reality. And also, everyone's trying their best.

[00:18:10] - [Speaker 2]
You know, people in a gay community with an HOA are doing their best because they've been told what the rules are for how to be a good person, be a good neighbor, and they're trying to follow those rules. And people in a collective cooperative community feel that they are doing their best to not necessarily follow a specific set of rules, but to care for and be kind to the people around them, even if being kind to them looks like arguing with them vehemently about how to plant the eggplants this season. Yeah. And so I really tried to stay in that reality of neither of these communities is a perfect ideal place where everyone is the perfect ideal version of themself. Everyone's messy and everyone's doing their best with each other, but also everyone is screwing up sometimes, and that's okay.

[00:19:06] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I I I love I love that that overarching approach that, like, no matter what your community is, everybody's annoying. Like, I you think because that's something I feel like every everyone relates to. Right? Yes.

[00:19:19] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Even if you're in a community where you feel like most of the folks agree with you in in some fashion, agree on what the rules are, agree on how to be a good person, like you said, agree on your stances with things politically, you're you're still gonna find that people crate on you and, and and get on your nerves.

[00:19:38] - [Speaker 2]
There's no way around it.

[00:19:40] - [Speaker 1]
None. None whatsoever. Oh, I, before we move on to talk about, you know, some of the more specifically, some of the characters, I wanted to ask you because I'm a I, I dwell a lot on names of things in terms of, like, names of characters, and, I just I think when I when I write something, I I really try and be clever with with names or try and give them some type of deeper meaning. I kinda blame the fact that I really like the show lost when it was on. But, there's, there's two dogs that are in, like, the very beginning that we used to be walking, and it it looks like now I now I apologize just because the PDF I had, it was a little tough to see, but it looks like their names were Percival and Gort, g o r t.

[00:20:27] - [Speaker 1]
Is that so, I mean, Percival Percival could be a reference to a bunch of different things. I think of what the knight of the round table, but the only thing I know called Gort is is from, like, the day the earth stood still. Right? Is that for something else?

[00:20:46] - [Speaker 2]
No. I have to tell I'm so sorry to disappoint you. So my my favorite thing to do when I'm writing comics is put in visual gags that are funny only to me and

[00:20:59] - [Speaker 1]
Okay.

[00:21:00] - [Speaker 2]
I was naming these two dogs because I had gotten in the the, inks and I was, like, stunned by these inks. Obviously, Heining is a genius. Heining's layouts are gorgeous, are better than most inks I've seen ever and then the, you know, the pencils come in and they're stunning and then the final inks show up and it's like, my hair is blowing back from my face and I was like, I don't have any notes but I'm looking at these dogs because I I gave I can even look it up if you want. I I give, like, a list sometimes in a panel of, like, here's the stuff you could include and I trust the artist's about what they wanna put in. And sometimes they'll pick one thing, and sometimes they'll do all, you know, 28 or whatever.

[00:21:48] - [Speaker 2]
And Hyming chose these details for this panel out of this big list of stuff that I was like, here's what defines this community and chose kind of what to highlight. And the dogs were one of those things. And I specified what breeds of dog this community would have, because a community like this one is going to have dogs that are, like, upper middle class, largely white community approved. And that means, like, anything that has doodle in the name, anything that has spaniel in the name Yeah. Schnauzers, like, like, dogs that you've got to take to a particular breeder because otherwise their hair will, like, roll across their nostrils and suffocate them.

[00:22:37] - [Speaker 2]
Those are all approved. And we discussed that. And Haineng picked just the perp these dogs are so iconically bred to be of service to this kind of community and you can really see it in them. But I could see their little their little, collar tags and I'll wait oh, I really missed a trick when I was saying that we could have these dogs which is that I have an opportunity here to make a joke that's only funny to me. Okay.

[00:23:07] - [Speaker 2]
I was like, well, I name these dogs and I was like, one of them's got to be Percival And the thing is, I think there's two types of dog, really, in this in this like breed family that's like upper middle class friendly and one type of dog is a Percival, is like kind of too smart for the life he's living and bored and trying so hard not to be destructive but not always succeeding and you're like, oh, that's a human being that's trapped inside a dog's body and he's got emotional needs that can't be met by the life he's living. And then the other type of dog is the type that's like, so excited to eat trash but he's stuck living in a tuxedo Perceval. And I was sitting right here in this chair and I'm sitting in while I talk to you and thinking, what's the opposite of Perceval? I came up with GORT and I I wrote it down and I sent it to a friend of mine and she said, this is the stupidest thing you've ever written. And I went, perfect.

[00:24:15] - [Speaker 2]
So I'm sorry. There isn't a deeper reference to Percival and Gortex, but it feels correct in my soul.

[00:24:23] - [Speaker 1]
Mean, that's I'm I'm hap I'm so happy to know that. Yeah. That's

[00:24:30] - [Speaker 2]
I love the idea. Just seems right.

[00:24:33] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. It does just seem right. I mean, it's a ridiculous name. I mean, I was just thinking that, like, that's so because Gortz, I think the the the robot from the day the earth stood still. But yeah.

[00:24:47] - [Speaker 1]
Well, I I love that.

[00:24:50] - [Speaker 2]
Well, I will tell you. I don't know, you know, because I know the PDF that I was able to send you wasn't the highest resolution, but I hope to God that you were able to see all the wine labels in this issue and that you're able to watch the wine labels in the other issues because that is where that's the other place I I I, exercised my GORT impulses was on the names of the wines that Bianca chose. Yeah.

[00:25:16] - [Speaker 1]
And Yeah. I also I well, one of the things I was gonna talk about with, you know, you kind of two two of your main characters in this, Bianca and the one community, Val in the other. I mean, until, like, maybe the last few panels, I Bianca either has a glass of wine or a bottle of wine, and I'm just like, you know what? I don't live in a community like that. But if I did, I'd like to think that I'd be friends with Bianca.

[00:25:41] - [Speaker 1]
Bianca Bianca seemed alright.

[00:25:46] - [Speaker 2]
Honestly, that's how I feel about Bianca and that's how I hope all the readers feel about Bianca because she is the gossip queen, wine mom, merry widow of the community. She does always have a glass of wine. She is always ready to gossip. She's got something fun to say. Her outfits are like my favorite.

[00:26:09] - [Speaker 2]
I High key, I want everything she wears in my own wardrobe. And I just I love her with all my heart, and I have readers do too.

[00:26:18] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. She there were a a few times, like, she she reminded me of, Marissa Tomei and and my cousin Vinny.

[00:26:27] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, a tablet.

[00:26:29] - [Speaker 1]
Like, there was something about her her look that that that reminded me of of of of that character. But, yeah, I I really I I mean, I really like Bianca. But but I I also I really liked Val too and seemed like a very different personality. You know, we we get a couple of glimpses in terms of, you know, how Val is in in the open arms community. Val says something in the, in, like, the pantry, you know, proper order of how things are put away.

[00:27:05] - [Speaker 1]
It's, like, very important to Val. Yeah. And I really like Val's tattoo of I think was is it like a tomato plant?

[00:27:13] - [Speaker 2]
Yes. Yeah. Well, Val has several tattoos. And again, Hining did incredible work on the character design both for Bianca and Val. So, Bia, you you mentioned, significance of names.

[00:27:25] - [Speaker 2]
Bianca is actually named for number one drag queen of all time, Bianca Del Rio, who is very much the archetype, the blueprint, of the, like, the merry widow housewife and then Valve, Majin, has several tattoos which, again, I put in the I make a story bible for every comic series that I write and it includes extensive character information and character design. And I always, again, say like, the artist is the final decision maker. If the artist says like, this thing that you suggested isn't gonna work great, but I'll put in several different tattoos that I thought Val would have. Val was the kitchen steward at Open Arms and is a chef and community organizer and street medic and so has lots of tattoos, naturally, including tomato vines, a nezar behind one eye, which it wards off or behind one ear, which wards off the evil eye, a chef's knife on the back of her neck, and the words expedite and execute in Morse code across both arms.

[00:28:35] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, really? I I didn't realize, what that was. That's awesome. And did you say does Val also has, organize? Yes.

[00:28:48] - [Speaker 1]
Organize for my cats. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The thing with Vowel

[00:28:57] - [Speaker 2]
and Vowel is, like I know I wrote them both, but I can't lie to you. I kinda have a crush on both of them.

[00:29:05] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I I get it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It's, you know, it's fun creating and and writing characters that you, you know, that you like or wanna hang out with. And Heining did such a great job.

[00:29:23] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah.

[00:29:24] - [Speaker 1]
You know, they they're in the writing, their personalities are are are different. They're in the look, their looks are very different. And, you know, Hining's style is these works really well for this series. Like, everybody looks like, you know, like, real people. It's it's very lively, at the two different meetings and as we, you know, see everything that that happens as we as as you lead towards the conclusion of, the first issue.

[00:29:56] - [Speaker 1]
And, yeah, really, really very interesting mystery. I don't wanna talk about it too much, but really very interesting mystery at the heart of it. Just having to deal with these two communities and as we see kind of everything build, it it I can't wait to see kind of, you know, kinda where it goes. It's it was it was very, you know, very satisfying, first issue. And one that was you know, first issues, I think, are, you know, are tough, because you especially when you're doing kind of a mystery series because you don't wanna give everything away, but you wanna say enough in order readers for comeback issue two and, you know, how much do I reveal?

[00:30:43] - [Speaker 1]
And, you know, all of those questions are kind of, like, swirling around. I really think the the whole, you know, the whole creative team kinda nailed it with this one. It ends in, like, a really interesting spot. And, yeah, I just I I kinda really liked the the the the the last couple of pages I just thought were fantastic.

[00:31:07] - [Speaker 3]
Jimmy is too humble to do this. So as his stalwart ride or die, I wanted to tell you about his new graphic novel, Penny and the Yeti with artist Amber Aiken. What started as a comic short with his daughter that I've known about for ages now, and it's evolved and has become one of those annoying can't talk about it in comics things for too damn long. Yes, I'm predisposed to be supportive but after reading an advanced copy of it, I have to admit it's way better than I anticipated. No shade but it's really good, remarkably so.

[00:31:38] - [Speaker 3]
Does it have a yeti? Yeah. Is it cute and adorable?

[00:31:41] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah.

[00:31:42] - [Speaker 3]
But it streak lies in effectively tapping into the all too familiar family dynamics that we all are facing in 2026 and approaching it in a way that doesn't insult the book's target audience. Kids. They are way smarter and perceptive than we adults give them credit for. So I really appreciated Jimmy's narrative approach tapping into his own experiences as a dad and a spouse. I can hear his wife saying, get off your phone, Jimmy, through the pages.

[00:32:08] - [Speaker 3]
She's gonna kill me for saying that. It's hitting shelves on April 21, and I dropped the link in the show notes where you can preorder a copy today. Getty or not, here we come with Penny, Perry, Fenton, Maxine, and the magical, mythical, magnificent, Yeti. On behalf of us both, we appreciate your support.

[00:32:28] - [Speaker 2]
Honestly, I mean, I just just today, I think just today, I got, inks for issue two in my inbox and layouts for issue three. And hiding just keeps blowing me away with their work. And then, of course, we have Rebecca Nalteon colors, and the colors are so load bearing for this because we're doing a lot of jumping back and forth between settings. And I think with a less skilled colorist, it would be difficult for the reader to keep track, but it's not at all because these color palettes set you exactly where you are. I was just last night reading a comic book that I will not name because I'm not being evil, that jumps back and forth between settings, and I was lost.

[00:33:19] - [Speaker 2]
I was like, I don't like, I'm having a really hard time keeping track of what's happening, and that really rested a lot honestly on the colors. And then, of course, we have Jodie Trattman on letters who is phenomenal. Just being wonderful. Jody's incredible.

[00:33:36] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Absolutely incredible.

[00:33:38] - [Speaker 2]
I mean, these panels get kind of complicated. It's sort of dense dialogue in this this mini. I mean, I did my best to keep it as sparse as I could because I always wanna leave as much room for art as I can, but it's a mystery. There's a lot of information to be delivered and there there's no it looks effortless. Like, when the letter proofs come in, it's just like, oh, yeah.

[00:34:04] - [Speaker 2]
Of course. All this, like, massive amount of information fits in here perfectly and effortlessly and that's all up to Jody.

[00:34:13] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Not yet. I mean, I I've read a bunch of comics that Jody has lettered. And even, like, little things that I always like because I, you know, I always, am on about how letters are the unsung heroes of comic books. But in the the scene where there's a scene where Val kinda is organizing the pantry and goes to get something on the shelf and kinda falls.

[00:34:35] - [Speaker 1]
But, like, the the speech bubble is wobbly, like, in that panel. Like, little things like that, I just oh, come on.

[00:34:43] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Come on. I mean, also just even just the lettering, again, on the background gags. Some of the lettering is Hining doing hand lettering, and some of it is Jody. Especially these days with a lot of digital lettering, you can really tell when like an artist left a rectangle open and the letterer filled in with like, you know, type typesetting.

[00:35:07] - [Speaker 2]
But I feel that in this first issue, all the lettering looks so integrated into the art in an amazing way. And I gave quite a lot of lettering prompts. There's a lot here, especially in these background gags. And it just all lands and that that's that's all up to the team. That's all this just incredible creative team I've gotten to work with carrying this thing on their backs.

[00:35:34] - [Speaker 2]
I'm I'm so grateful to get to be with these guys.

[00:35:38] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Well and, well and you've worked with, Rebecca before because Rebecca colored Know Your Station.

[00:35:45] - [Speaker 2]
Yes.

[00:35:45] - [Speaker 1]
And how did you come across and end up working with Hining?

[00:35:52] - [Speaker 2]
That's all up to our editor, at Boom, Elizabeth Bray. You know, Hining has worked with my good friend and colleague, Alyssa Wong, in the past on Spirit Realm. And we I was talking with Elizabeth about like, who do we wanna work with? And we were throwing around a lot of names. And a lot of names for different reasons.

[00:36:12] - [Speaker 2]
People I've worked with before, people who I admire in the field, and of course, everyone is busy. Everyone is booked and cooked right now. I mean, everyone's on like 28 different projects and I just threw out as this hail Mary. I was like, you know what? I loved Hining's work on spirit realm, or sorry, spirit world.

[00:36:33] - [Speaker 2]
I love what I've seen from them. I know it's a really long shot, it's a really slim chance but like, what do we think? And the consensus was kind of like, no way are they gonna be available. But we got in touch and we just lucked out. I don't even know how we did it.

[00:36:52] - [Speaker 2]
I don't know how, you know, the the everything aligned. I'm just assuming Mercury was in whatever is the opposite of retrograde and we managed to we managed to make it work and gosh, I I really cannot tell you what it's been like working with Haineng. It's it's been unlike any other experience I've had in comics where it's just like everything I throw out there, they pick up and they run with further and faster than I've ever seen and all of a sudden, this idea that I had that was like, gosh, maybe could we do this? I think it's probably too hard and too risky and too weird. And then all of sudden, comes back and it's like better than I could have imagined.

[00:37:37] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, that's awesome.

[00:37:38] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. There's I cannot I at this point, I cannot fathom something I could come up with in my head that Hainan couldn't make better.

[00:37:47] - [Speaker 1]
That's, I mean, that that's it. Right? That's that's the beauty of collaboration in in comics. I I mean Absolutely. Whole is greater than the, sum of its parts.

[00:38:00] - [Speaker 1]
Right?

[00:38:00] - [Speaker 2]
A 100%. And it really, you know, felt this way for a long time but this has just served to kind of underline and highlight and bold and italicize this feeling which is when people talk about comics as being written by someone, they are missing three quarters of the process. Because Yep. Sure. I write a script and that's the beginning of the comic being made.

[00:38:31] - [Speaker 2]
That's the first part is me saying, hey, here's what I think this could look like. But, oh my gosh, seeing what Hining and Rebecca and Jody do is like it's like saying that the first step of making Frankenstein Frankenstein is digging up a body. Like, they breathe life into this thing in such a stunning way and I'm just I'm the luckiest person on earth that I get to work with people like them and like Liana and like Pius Bach and Alessandro Mercolo and, I mean, just there- there's- there's no words actually to express what it feels like to get to see these artists taking the bullshit that I write down and making it into something incredible. You know, I know you're very personal and gort, and they're like, okay. Well, I'm gonna make some art, actually.

[00:39:28] - [Speaker 1]
Well, I think you're I think you're underselling a little bit what you you bring to it, but I I do appreciate your point that it is a, it is it is a collaborative effort. And, yeah, yeah, everyone kinda does their part to to make it what it is. Yeah. I love a really good mystery, and I I love when it's done well in comics. It because because comics are a visual medium, and we love to see really big fun, you know, action scenes and crazy sci fi stuff and all of these things.

[00:40:05] - [Speaker 1]
But it really is nice to sit, and you have this, like, wonderful art. You have all these things that you've just talked about. And and, like, you're you have a really interesting character driven, like, mystery. Like, mystery, mystery. And it's it's just it's it feels you know, it it it's one of those things that I I I've I've come across a few of these recently that that feels like it's both of another time and also very right now.

[00:40:34] - [Speaker 1]
And I I just love that Boom is doing stuff and kind of allowing you and all of your collaborators to kind of, like, have the space to tell, you know, this story and not like, oh, we need a big action thing here. Like, it's a really great character driven mystery. I just I'd love that.

[00:40:53] - [Speaker 2]
I do too. And I'm I also I love the big action stuff. Right? I mean, I I got the amazing opportunity to write, The Avengers for, you know, their their app scrolling storytelling, and that's very action driven. It's very you have to have a lot of, high volume, high action stuff going on.

[00:41:16] - [Speaker 2]
Same with White Widow. When I wrote White Widow, it's like, you've gotta have the big the big zazzy fight stuff. I love living I love living in characters. And I love with all my heart, I love a splash panel or a splash page. I love a splash page that is just two characters realizing something or one character coming to understand something because that's how it feels inside your body.

[00:41:42] - [Speaker 2]
It feels the same as a big punch or a big explosion is the realization like, oh, something isn't right in the situation I'm in. And Yeah. I'm so excited to get to do that with this series. Don't get me wrong, there is action. If you oh, boy.

[00:42:01] - [Speaker 2]
Issue five, I just turned in some final final final final pages for, and there's some there's some big action. Good. But it all it all seems to me.

[00:42:14] - [Speaker 1]
I'm not I'm not trying to knock big action stuff or superhero comics or anything like that, and I'm not saying this series isn't gonna have that in there. But you're you're you're starting off with a very solid base of a good character driven mystery. And then go, yeah, do big stuff. Do do whatever you want, like, with the rest of us, but you've just really, you know, laid out a very, you know, solid mystery. And, I mean, I grew up, you know, and watch reading the Hardy Boys case file books and watching old episodes of Columbo.

[00:42:50] - [Speaker 1]
You know? Like, I I love that stuff. So I

[00:42:54] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I mean, to me, that's really where that's where all the juicy stuff is. And that's part of what I was looking for in this series when I was writing it was the gossip. I'm like, okay, but who has what relationship with who and who's mad at someone else? Who's got some, like, background stuff going on.

[00:43:14] - [Speaker 2]
That's that's where I really live in my life and in my life.

[00:43:22] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, well, be before, you know, I I let you you go, I just wanted to ask generally, like, what else have you been up to? I mean, it's been three years since you've been on the podcast. How have you been?

[00:43:36] - [Speaker 2]
Well, you know, up and down. Right now, I'm right. I'm actually, as we record this, as of today, it's exactly two weeks until I get nary, I'm really excited about. I know. I know.

[00:43:51] - [Speaker 2]
Since last Congratulations. I met the most amazing person on earth, and we decided we wanna keep on, you know, doing this crazy thing together forever. So I'm really excited about that. I also had a book come out last year called Spread Me, which is a novella. The pitch for it is, John Carpenter's The Thing, but if the Thing from The Thing was trying to fuck you.

[00:44:17] - [Speaker 2]
And Oh, okay. Really fun. It's erotic hollow.

[00:44:22] - [Speaker 1]
That sounds upsetting.

[00:44:24] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I watched the thing.

[00:44:25] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That's

[00:44:27] - [Speaker 2]
On every level.

[00:44:29] - [Speaker 1]
I don't know if I'd be into that. I mean, that's okay.

[00:44:32] - [Speaker 2]
Know. And then in

[00:44:35] - [Speaker 1]
I will.

[00:44:36] - [Speaker 2]
A month from now, my next novel comes out. It's called Make Me Better. And this one is a literary long community story about high control groups, also known as cults. And it's about the communities that define us and what happens when we don't fit the definitions we've built for us.

[00:44:56] - [Speaker 1]
Alright. That's make me better. That's out next month?

[00:44:59] - [Speaker 2]
Yes. In May. Oh, that's twelfth.

[00:45:03] - [Speaker 1]
May 12. Okay. Well, I'll be sure to put a link in the show notes so listeners can can pick that up. So

[00:45:08] - [Speaker 2]
Awesome. Thank you.

[00:45:09] - [Speaker 1]
Good stuff, but congratulations on, getting married. That's that's so exciting.

[00:45:15] - [Speaker 2]
Thank you. I'm I could not possibly be more excited. I'm I'm again, as with my writing and comics collaborators, I'm the luckiest person on Earth. I've found someone to collaborate with on, you know, making a life together, and I never thought it could be this good.

[00:45:32] - [Speaker 1]
Well, that's amazing. That's fantastic. I wish you all the luck in the world. I've been married myself for gosh. November will be eighteen years.

[00:45:46] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, wow. What's old. What's my favorite part of what?

[00:45:51] - [Speaker 2]
Of being married to this person.

[00:45:53] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. That's a great question. I think my favorite part is kinda like in in thinking about comics when you have someone you work with over and over again and just that shorthand that you develop. It's just having someone in my life that I feel like always has my back. Even when we're arguing or even when my wife sometimes says things to me that feel hurtful.

[00:46:21] - [Speaker 1]
I do know that deep down, like, she is really looking out for me. Like, she really she loves me, and she just you know, she's just the type of person that does it, you know, like, as a if she were she's a photographer. But if she were a doctor, she would probably be a doctor known for not having a great bedside manner Uh-huh. In terms of how she delivers information. But, yeah, my favorite part is just having somebody that I know always has my back.

[00:46:52] - [Speaker 1]
And, yeah, I think that's, like it's just a good feeling to feel like there's somebody there that you know, even when even when things are rough or, there's issues, like, I do know that, yeah, she she's she's always gonna be And same with with me for her, that I'll always be there for her. Yeah. So that that, I think, is my favorite part.

[00:47:13] - [Speaker 2]
Fantastic. What a good way to be.

[00:47:15] - [Speaker 1]
I mean, it's it's not for everybody, but if you do find someone, it's, it's really nice. So I'm very happy for you, for the both of you.

[00:47:24] - [Speaker 2]
Too.

[00:47:26] - [Speaker 1]
Alright. Well, congrats again, and I hope it's amazing. And in the meantime, neighborhood watch will be out. Listeners, when you listen to this, you can get neighborhood watch from, Boom Studios. Issue two will be out May 22.

[00:47:42] - [Speaker 1]
You should also check out American Hippo. If you haven't, please check out eat the rich under your station, And then the novella, spread me. That that sounds wild. So if you're into erotic thrillers, check that out. And then, make me better will be out May 12.

[00:48:01] - [Speaker 1]
And I'll try and put links to everything in the show notes so folks can get those. But, yeah, I highly recommend all of this stuff, but especially if you haven't read American Hippo, you gotta check it out. So, and neighborhood watch was phenomenal. Sarah, thank you so much for coming back on the podcast. And, yeah, I really appreciate it.

[00:48:24] - [Speaker 1]
I just

[00:48:25] - [Speaker 2]
What a pleasure. It's so great to see you again.

[00:48:28] - [Speaker 1]
Yes. It is. It's so wonderful to see you again. So listeners, rate and review us. Do all those things they tell you to do for podcast.

[00:48:35] - [Speaker 1]
It really does help. We're on TikTok and Blue Sky, and we we we also put these on YouTube. So if you like to get your podcasts or your interviews that way, you can you can go check out and see me stress blink for forty five minutes, if that's your thing. And yeah. So, again, thank you to my guest, Eric Ailey.

[00:48:58] - [Speaker 1]
Thank you, everybody. Good night. I'll see you next time.

[00:49:02] - [Speaker 3]
This is Byron O'Neil, one of your hosts of the cryptid creator corner brought to you by Comic Book Yeti. We hope you've enjoyed this episode of our podcast. Please rate, review, subscribe, all that good stuff. It lets us know how we're doing and more importantly, how we can improve. Thanks for listening.

[00:49:21] - [Speaker 0]
If you enjoyed this episode of the Cryptid Creator Corner, maybe you would enjoy our sister podcast, Into the Comics Cave. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.