The following is an interview with Nicole Goux (This Place Kills Me) and Dave Baker (Mary Tyler MooreHawk) regarding the upcoming release of their coming-of-age graphic novel, ‘Punk’n Heads, with Top Shelf. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Goux and Baker about the creative shorthand that they’ve developed in being longtime collaborators, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Punk’n Heads! What can you share with us about the genesis behind this project, and how would you describe its premise?
Dave Baker: Thank you! Punk’n Heads is a sweeping romance told against the backdrop of Los Angeles’ thriving (and fictionalized) horror punk scene. The book follows Hannah Lipsky, a former painter, who drops out of art school, moves in with her high school crush, and before she knows it ends up fronting a pumpkin-themed horror punk band. The book is a rumination on what it takes to be creative, how difficult finding love and companionship can be, and also the importance of “breakfast pizza.”
Nicole Goux: I had the idea about a band that wore pumpkin masks that called themselves the Punk’n Heads. That was the spark of the idea for Punk’n Heads, but the project really developed as Dave and I worked on it together.
BD: Your continued creative partnership exudes a rhythm in your visual storytelling that is truly palpable for the reader. Do you find that you have developed a creative shorthand in your shared creative process?
NG: Oh, yeah. We’ve been working together a while at this point. We’re interested in the same types of stories. We think about comics in a similar way––but also in some very key different ways, as well. But that’s the fun part of making things together, I think. It’s finding those commonalities and developing them more.
DB: And the differences. Nicole can draw certain things that I just can’t draw, but I love writing for that. The amount of times I’ve written “Just do the Nicole Goux sad girl with her hair blowing in the wind thing here” is in the hundreds. And Nicole knocks it out of the park every time.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums and genres. How do you feel that Hannah’s story might connect with and impact readers?
DB: Well, I would hope that the story serves as a reminder that life isn’t always a straight path. I think at the center of our book is a desire to create things. All the characters are trying to figure out how to exist and create. Survival isn’t enough.
NG: I’ve read a lot of books over the years that have deeply impacted me. And I hope that one of my books will do the same. I really put everything I had into this book. And I look at the pages and I can tell how much effort is there. And sometimes trying can be scary. So, I guess, other than what Dave said, that our book might inspire someone else to try their best at making their own work, as well.
BD: What makes Top Shelf the perfect publishing partner for Punk’N Heads?
DB: Top Shelf published my book, Mary Tyler MooreHawk. I had a great experience with Chris and he really bet on me and believed in the power of the work I was doing. So, when it came time for Nicole and I to find a home for Punk’n Heads, Top Shelf was a perfect fit.
NG: I’m very proud to be a part of Top Shelf’s long-standing reputation as being a home for creator owned comics of the highest quality. I think Blankets and Punk’n Heads serve as a pretty good double feature, if someone is in the market for a day laying around and reading. Is that what you call a double-book day? A double feature? That sounds weird, haha.
BD: Are there any additional projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
DB: Well, if Punk’n Heads sounds up your alley, Nicole and I have many books together that are somewhat similar in style and tone. Forest Hills Bootleg Society is a comic about a group of teens that decide they’re going to start selling bootleg hentai to the kids in the conservative Christian school. That feels like it goes with Punk’n Heads pretty well.
NG: Or our books, Everyone is Tulip, which is about a young actor struggling to make it in Hollywood, or Fuck Off Squad, which is a coming-of-age comic about a group of shitty punk kids.
DB: There’s a type of story Nicole and I like and we return to it often.
NG: The costumes or the setting might change, but it’s going to have people kissing and people crying.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Punk’N Heads and your other work?
DB: You can find me online at XDaveBakerX on the socials or on my website, HeyDaveBaker.com
NG I’m at NGoux on Instagram and my website is NicoleGoux.com
