Interview: Shawn Aldridge

Shawn Aldridge is an up-and-coming comic book writer and musician who created Vic Boone, a pulp-style detective living in a B-movie sci-fi world.

Shawn sat with Comic Book Interviews for an interview with Michael Sacal to discuss Vic Boone and his music.

Shawn Aldridge.

Michael Sacal: Please tell Comic Book Interviews about yourself.

Shawn Aldridge: My name is Shawn Aldridge. Originally from the Bluegrass State, I currently live in the comic book mecca known as Portland, OR.

MS: How long have you been writing comics?

SA: I’ve been writing comics since I was 10 years old, so for about 26 years. But I’ve only been writing professionally for about 5 years, now.

MS: Have you written other creators’ characters, or only your own properties?

SA: I’ve written other creators’ characters, which is fun. Nothing from anyone major, though I have a story or two coming out on Vincent Price Presents. One is based on Jules Verne characters. Does that count?

MS: When and where can our readers find your Vincent Price and Jules Verne stories?

SA: I honestly wish I knew. Sometime later this year. The artist is working on it, now. He’s actually the one who contacted me about the story being printed.

MS: Can you tell us about your signature character (s)?

SA: I guess I’m best known as the creator of Vic Boone, though my level of “being known” is probably pretty small.

Vic Boone is a mix of pulp detective novels and b-movie sci-fi. He’s an ex-motorcycle daredevil turned private eye in a world where the science fiction of early Hollywood is science fact. He’s a bit of a smart ass and sometimes too reckless for his own good.

Vic Boone.

MS: How did you come up with Vic Boone, and who are your collaborators on the upcoming ongoing series?

SA: The initial idea came from me going through my collection of paperbacks late one night.

Two covers, one a sci-fi pulp and the other a detective pulp, made me think “I wonder how cool mixing these two genres together would be?”

The seed was planted. I started hammering out ideas and Vic Boone was born.

A lot of what would become Vic Boone also came from my childhood and my Uncle Paul. He loved sci-fi movies and watched any and all that came on the TV. He grew up in the Golden Age of sci-fi b-movies. He’s also the man responsible for my comic book obsession. In a way, Vic Boone is an homage to him and his influence on me.

Jeff & Rachel Winstead was the original artist on Vic Boone when it originally appeared on the now defunct Zuda Comics. They’re responsible for a lot of visual feel of Boone. The artist on the ongoing series is Geoffrey Beaulieu of France. He’s put his own spin on Boone and his world.

MS: What other mediums or genres have you worked in?

SA: I’ve written poetry and short stories. Some of those have been published in various university anthologies. Some even won an award or two. And I also write and play music in the band The French 75s.

The French 75s.

MS: Who are the French 75s and how did you get together?

SA: We’re just a local band in Portland, OR. One of the thousands that play for beer tickets. Three of us are former or current co-workers. The other two are friends. We got together when my previous band broke up and I needed to fill that void.

MS: What kind of music do you play and where can people find you and your music?

SA: Good question.

I guess you could say we’re a mix of Power Pop, Punk Pop, and straight up Rock ‘n Roll. We don’t have a website. I think there’s a Facebook fan page with one song on it. We’re still new. We actually just played our first show on January 7th. We’re working on getting a 7″ out by year’s end.

MS: What future projects are in the works?
SA: I have a Vic Boone ongoing series coming out from 215ink in June. Look for it in Previews in April.

I have another series called Kid Gloves in the works. It’s about a kid who has gloves made of Merlin’s robe, a shrunken head that talks too much, and a faerie that is overly obsessed with fashion. His mission is to kill his parents and resurrect his dead sister.
MS: If you could write any company’s character (s), which one (s) would it be and why?

SA: I’ve recently come to the realization that the thought of writing for DC or Marvel doesn’t appeal to me as much as these days as it did when I was younger. Not to say I wouldn’t do it if they came knocking. I guess the character I would love to write would be Firestorm (the Ronnie Raymond version). Why? I think he has so much untapped potential as a character. There are so many cool, original stories that could be told with him. Besides him, I think I have a few Wolverine stories that might be fun floating around in my head.

MS: For anyone who wants to be a writer, what can you tell them about the craft?

SA: I know everyone says it, but it’s true – Read, read, read. Not just comics, everything. When you’re not writing you should be devouring words like your life depended on it. Oh, and always carry pen and paper wherever you go.

Everyone at ComicBookInterviews.com would like to thank Mr. Aldridge for taking the time to answer our questions.

Michael Sacal is a freelance writer and archivist whose work has appeared in Faster Than Light, an anthology series published by Orang Utan Comics, and the Book of Geomancers, a Wikipedia-style online resource focused on the VALIANT Universe published by VALIANT Entertainment Inc.

Michael is a contributing writer for Surprising Comics and Red Leaf Comics who is in the process of developing multiple freelance and creator-owned projects with different publishers in the United States.

Michael holds the post of Senior Reporter at Comic Book Interviews, and can be reached at msacal@comicbookinterviews.com.