By: Nicole D’Andria
A werewolf, a vampire, and a zombie walk into a bar… I mean, open a detective agency in Nocturnal Commissions! This latest Indiegogo project is a cross between X-Files and Monster Squad. Learn more from the creative team themselves!
The detective agency Nocturnal Commissions is here to solve your supernatural problems for a price in this 40-page one-shot comic book. The creative team includes writer Jason McNamara and Greg Hinkle, who previously worked together on Image Comics’ The Rattler.
If you back the Indiegogo campaign you can get a digital ($5) and a physical signed ($12) copy of Nocturnal Commissions, as well as an alternate cover package that includes sticker sheets, Justin Greenwood’s pin-up lithograph colored by Greg Hinkle and a PDF ($30) or physical copy ($45) of the creative team’s previous project The Rattler. Check out all the reward tiers here.
Get more insight on this supernatural one-shot below with Jason and Greg!
Me: What are some of your favorite monster-related works and comedies that influenced the creation of Nocturnal Commissions the most, and how did they influence your project?
McNamara: Horror and comedy are executed so similarly that they naturally fit together. The trick is finding the balance between the two. Too goofy and you lose the humanity that connects you to the characters. Too dark and it becomes a mirthless serious self-slog.
I absolutely love Cemetery Man with Rupert Everett, I think it’s an underrated gem. I was also definitely influenced by An American Werewolf in London, Fright Night, Return of the Living Dead, Ghostbusters, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, What We Do in the Shadows, Tremors, Shaun of the Dead, Monster Squad, Re-Animator and Army of Darkness.
Me: How would you describe the members of the agency, and what aspects of them do you think will be most appealing to readers?
McNamara: Each of our leads was an outcast in their own communities. They find their place in the world when they come together.
Mathias is the werewolf leader of the group. Quick to exploit a trend or bend a rule, he sees opportunities where others see calamity.
Bradford is a Vampire with albinism, which gives him unique traits. He’s also very frugal, asexual, and ambivalent about the survival of the human race. He’s along for the ride and might turn on the others at any moment.
Alton Allen was a Johnny Thunders type scuzz rocker who, through medical testing, became a Zombie who can control the recently deceased. He is a mercurial punk out of sync with the modern world.
We wanted to create real characters that avoid the typical tropes associated with those monster archetypes. No one is brooding, baring fangs or skittering along a wet dark city street under neon signage. This is a day job for night people.
Me: If you had to choose between being a Wolfman, Vampire or Zombie, which would you pick to be and why?
McNamara: I’m reasonably hairy, and growl at people in real life, so, Wolfman for sure. I’m already halfway there.
Me: You have this slated as a 40-page one-shot. Are there any plans to further the series in the future?
McNamara: Yes! We love the characters and want to continue their stories in 40-page one-shot installments. That gives us enough room to deliver a satisfying stand-alone adventure and also build toward a larger story that is building in the background.
The second script is written; all we need now is for folks to buy the first adventure. How well this one is received will dictate what happens next.
Me: The last time you and Greg worked together was on The Rattler from Image Comics. What can you tell us about that book, which is one of the out-of-print perks people can get from the Indiegogo campaign?
McNamara: The Rattler is a 96-page graphic novel thriller inspired by true events. A young novelist watched helplessly as his fiancée was kidnapped. Years later, he has become a bitter victim’s rights advocate and begins to receive messages that may or may not be from his lost love. The Rattler was, and remains, my favorite project and collaboration to date. Greg and I genuinely bring out the best in each other (our wives may disagree).
Me: Why was this the project to reunite you and Greg?
McNamara: Greg and I had kicked around a few different projects over the years. Some came closer than others to coming together. When his schedule finally opened up, neither of us were excited about another dark, grisly tale like The Rattler. We were both in the mood for something lighter and more cerebral but still in the horror genre.
We spent a weekend together at the Halloween 40th anniversary convention in the fall of 18; over those three days, we sketched out what we wanted to do with Nocturnal Commissions. It came together pretty quickly when we were in the same place.
Me: After your successful Kickstarter campaign, you launched your Indiegogo campaign. Why did you decide to use both, and what has the experience been like between both of them?
McNamara: The book was funded on Kickstarter, and we offered exclusive perks to those backers, like having your name listed in the book. The community around Kickstarter is incredible, and that experience is impossible to replicate anywhere else. The challenge we faced was this: if Nocturnal Commissions was not going to be sold in stores, how can people get a copy after the campaign?
The Indiegogo campaign allows folks who missed the Kickstarter to still order copies. Eventually, we will offer the book through ComiXology as well. These are secondary channels to keep the book available outside the Kickstarter window.
I think of like theatrical runs of films being followed by rentals. They are different experiences that appeal to different audiences.
Me: What is the number one reason why you feel people should pledge money to your Indiegogo campaign?
McNamara: The book is complete and headed to the printers, every pledge is a pre-order for a kick-ass monster book. And if enough people support the campaign, then Greg and I can start work on the second installment.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for aspiring comic book writers?
McNamara: Create the book that you would want to discover on the shelf. Write to impress and satisfy yourself. Don’t get distracted by what is selling now; don’t worry about other people’s successes or failures. The only person you are competing with is yourself.
Me: What are some of your favorite monster-related works and comedies that influenced the artwork in Nocturnal Commissions and how did they influence your art? If those works didn’t influence the art, what did?
Greg Hinkle: Jason and I have a lot of overlap here. Tremors is a favorite of mine, Return of the Living Dead, the whole Evil Dead franchise, Dead Alive, Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator and From Beyond. But all those probably influenced tone more than actual look. I reference Eduardo Risso constantly, as well as Chris Samnee, Dylan Burnett, and cartoonists like Jack Davis and Darwyn Cooke. I look at how films, and those cartoonists, frame shots and lead you through a story. I’m less concerned with style than I am with clarity, and all those guys can speak volumes with just a couple of panels.
Me: Which page in Nocturnal Commissions was your favorite to draw and why?
Hinkle: Showing Alton’s transformation from burnt-out rocker into undead ventriloquist was a lot of fun. Doing a whole backstory in two pages was an exciting challenge. But honestly, Jason gave me fun stuff to draw on every page.
Me: If you had to choose between being a Wolfman, Vampire or Zombie, which would you pick to be and why?
Hinkle: I’m gonna have to go with a vampire, since I’m up all night already, and could really use the extra time that immortality would give me.
Me: What is the number one reason why you feel people should pledge money to your Indiegogo campaign?
Hinkle: If you like monsters getting into trouble and kicking butt, then I think you’ll have a good time reading this book. And if enough people take a chance on us, we’ll be able to tell some more stories with these characters and flesh out their world. Selfishly, we’d really like to play in this sandbox a little longer.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for aspiring comic book artists?
Hinkle: I’ll echo Jason: find something you’re excited about. And practice, practice, practice.
Me: Best of luck with your Indiegogo campaign, Jason and Greg! Readers, if you’d like to check out Nocturnal Commissions, take a look at it right here.
Do you have a crowdfunding project? Want to be interviewed about it and have the project featured on “Kickstart/IndieGogo/GoFundMe the Week?” Let me know in the comments below or message me on my website.
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