The following is an interview with writer Patrick Coyle regarding his recent return to Kickstarter for the latest issue of the supernatural noir series, Bixby Grant, Private Eye: Fangs & Brimstone. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Coyle about where readers will find Harbor City’s greatest private detective, the incredible backer rewards available with this issue, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: You recently returned to Kickstarter to crowdfund the latest installment of Bixby Grant, Private Eye: Fangs & Brimstone. What can you share with us about where readers will find their favorite mummy private detective in this next volume?
Patrick Coyle: Fangs & Brimstone finds Bix smack dab in the middle of a killing spree – someone’s been killing off members of the corrupt mayor’s re-election campaign in elaborate cult ceremonies! In issue one, which came out earlier this year, Bix investigated a haunted warehouse, met up with Diego, a rockabilly vampire, and uncovered the first of these cult sacrifices. In issue two, currently live on Kickstarter, Bix starts looking for the killer, avoids the cops who want him off this case, tries to shake Diego loose, and we meet an old friend of Bix’s, who guards the mysterious Vault! Oh, and he throws someone off the roof of a high-rise apartment building. Business as usual for your favorite mummy detective.
BD: You are reuniting with artist Gonzalo Martínez and colorist Arthur Hesli for this issue of the series. How would you describe your shared creative process in bringing this world and characters to life on the page, and do you find that you have developed a creative “shorthand” in working together?
PC: Now that we’ve been working together for a few years, along with editor Heather Antos, I think the whole team has a much better idea of what we can all do, and what we’re looking for. Early on, Gonzalo would do more sketch iterations and try out more ideas to get to what we all decided was the right approach for a panel or page, but now it’s a pretty smooth process.
One thing that I think comes with familiarity over time is we all take bigger swings, try something a little bolder than maybe we would have years ago. Arthur is a wonderful colorist and artist, always trying to up his game. He’s tried some new approaches, specifically when it comes to covers. Sometimes, it works, sometimes, it doesn’t, but we’re all comfortable enough with one another to try, regardless of the outcome, which I find isn’t easy to do with new collaborators.
Gonzalo, being the seasoned professional that he is, frequently makes suggestions on page layout, adding or removing panels during the rough layout stage if he thinks it will help tell the story better. And so far, he’s always been right! That makes for a much better comic in the end, which is what we all want as a team.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Bixby Grant and Diego’s story may connect with readers?
PC: We’re just starting to dig into the emotional themes of this series, the main one being Bixby’s relationship with his older brother Max. Some bad stuff went down a long time ago between Bix and Max, and Bix still hasn’t dealt with it on an emotional level. He tends to avoid his feelings, particularly if they’re unpleasant or confusing.
There’s some tragedy in Diego’s past, too, which we’ll get a glimpse of later in the series. But he is the opposite of Bix – Diego is an open book. He loves to talk about stuff, and even writes songs and performs in bands to express his feelings. He’s taken it as his mission to crack Bix open and get at whatever is troubling him.
Given these two big personalities, I think readers will probably be able to see themselves, or someone they know, in either of them. I know I can see a little of myself in both Bix and Diego.
BD: Are there any specific backer rewards that you’re most excited about with the Kickstarter campaign?
PC: As a creator, I’m very excited that I’m now at a point where I have a “Catch-Up” reward, that includes back issues, as well as the current issue. That means we’ve actually created and published a bunch of comics, which is exciting. But it’s also a good place for new readers to jump on – if they missed the last couple campaigns they can still get up to speed, and at a discount, even!
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Bixby Grant: Private Eye – Fangs & Brimstone and your other work?
PC: Fans can go to RNMPress.com to find out more about Bixby Grant, and can sign up for our newsletter to make sure you get all the updates about new issues. Plus, we give away a newsletter-exclusive hardcover edition of Bixby Grant: Wolf, She Cried for FREE, once per month, to a randomly selected newsletter subscriber!
