The following is an interview with Derek Johnson regarding the recent launch of the Kickstarter campaign for the supernatural noir comic book, The Caretaker. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Johnson about his shared creative process in bringing the story and characters to life on the page, the incredible reward tiers available to backers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the launch of your Kickstarter campaign for The Caretaker! What can you share with us about the overall premise of this story?
Derek Johnson: Thank you! The story takes place in Blackhaven, a futuristic city that is an AI surveillance dystopia. A serial killer is performing ritualistic murders, making symbols with the victims’ blood, and removing their hearts. A cop enlists the help of a computer genius, and they’re hot on his trail — but they soon discover the truth. The killer isn’t some psychopath. The rituals he’s performing are real. And the two have to stop him before he unlocks a door to the supernatural and destroys the world.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in working with co-creator Addam Martin to bring this series and its characters to life on the page?
DJ: I’ve known Addam for at least 20 years. We’d scrape our money together, rent a boom mic, and produce low-budget action short films. Our inspirations were Tarantino, Scorsese, Romero, Rodriguez, the Coen Brothers.
Here’s the thing. Addam lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and years ago I moved to the opposite side of the country, to Las Vegas, Nevada. We speak daily and do Zoom sessions. But the real work happens when we do our “Overlook Hotel” trips.
Remember The Shining? Jack is working on his novel, he’s trapped at the Overlook Hotel, and then he goes crazy and tries to kill his family? That’s what Addam and I do… minus the murders! We trap ourselves at an Airbnb for four or five days straight. No hanging out. No movies. We just spitball and “what if.” There are no dumb ideas. The Caretaker was created during an “Overlook Hotel” writing session. Then, we keep building on it.
Having a writing partner is checks and balances. You’ve got to sell your ideas. It can be frustrating — you think something is good, but your partner… not so much. You want to skip the process. You want to bludgeon them. But here’s what I know for sure: If me and Addam agree on something, it’s money. Every. Time.
BD: Why do you feel that crowdfunding has been such a valuable resource to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators?
DJ: Barbra, crowdfunding is essential for indie creators like myself. Producing a comic is expensive. And news flash — I’m not wealthy. I work a day job.
But we have this amazing story that I want to share with the world. That’s why we gave the digital version of Issue #1 away for free — to build a crowd. The more people who read The Caretaker, the more fans jump on board, and more fans means more backers. That’s what offsets our costs, pays our amazing artists, covers printing, promotion, and convention trips — and ultimately, it’s what could let us go full-time as comic creators.
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 The Caretaker‘s story may connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it might inspire?
DJ: The Caretaker — and especially Issue #2 — is action-packed horror. But laying underneath the main storyline is a sneaky subtext. The city of Blackhaven is in the midst of a struggle, similar to the world we live in now: AI vs. human. Privacy vs. security. How much of your data and privacy are you willing to part with? How much are you willing to let AI drive human society?
What we show in The Caretaker could be a preview of what’s to come — drones in the sky, cameras and sensors everywhere, a locked-down and policed world. That’s what people comment on the most. They see this world. And then they see themselves.
BD: In light of the crowdfunding campaign, are there any particular backer rewards that you would like to highlight for our readers?
DJ: There are a few standouts. I’ll do a good, better, best.
A good reward for someone coming into The Caretaker Issue #2 campaign is grabbing a “Signed Set” of Issues #1 and #2. Our physical copies are amazing — you don’t want to cheat yourself with just a digital version.
A much better reward is to pick up the mystery variant by Suspiria Vilchez. This is a true collectible. I can’t wait to get one myself.
The baller reward is “The Architect.” It’s all of the above, plus your name in the book, an original art print, and a metal-covered Issue #1. Crazy!
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about The Caretaker campaign and your other work?
DJ: The Caretaker is a $20 million Hollywood blockbuster movie that you read. It’s told over six issues, and Issue #2 is when it really picks up steam.
To truly experience this run, pick up the physical copies. You won’t be disappointed.
The Issue #2 Kickstarter is now live. You can find the campaign — and read Issue #1 free — at octanemp.com/issue2prelaunch, and I’m @octanempdotcom on Instagram if you’d like to follow along.
