Writer Scott R. Schmidt has crafted tales for Future Quake Press as well as his own properties Savage Pulp Anthology through Pistol-Whip Press. He’s currently writing an adventure/horror series set during the Yukon Gold Rush featuring Canadian frontier legend Sam Steele. Scott stopped by comicbookinterviews.com to discuss his career in comics and what he’s planned for the future…
JMH: Where were you born and raised?
SCOTT: I’m from the humble burg of Calwood, Missouri, the self-proclaimed “Crossroads of the World.”
JMH: Tell CBI about yourself…
SCOTT: I’m 28 years old, currently residing in Saint Louis with the love of my life and our two mutts. I have an “old soul” in that I gravitate towards the past in most things, preferring older movies, music and literature to most contemporary offerings.
JMH: Have you had any formal training in writing?
SCOTT: I graduated fromColumbiaCollegein 2010 with a BA in English/Creative Writing.
JMH: Who are your writing influences?
SCOTT: On writing in general, fiction writers from the 19th and early 20th century like Jack London, Joseph Conrad, Robert E. Howard, Ambrose Bierce, Stephen Crane, Robert Louis Stevenson, H.G. Wells.
For comics I’m loyal to all things Mike Mignola and Alan Moore, but my biggest influence as a comic scribe has been Cullen Bunn, writer/creator of The Damned and The Sixth Gun and currently working for Marvel. For me he’s a real success story and inspiration to keep at my grass roots comic career.
JMH: How did you break into writing comic books?
SCOTT: Well, I definitely haven’t made it yet, but I’m working my way there. I guess you could say that my first “break” was last year when I got my first comic book short story published by Future Quake Press, aUKmagazine. Since then I’ve had another short accepted by an anthology which will see print later this year. I was also involved in assisting Mexican artist David M. Carrillo with an English translation of his comic book Verne: Son of the Moon which is available now for digital download.
JMH: What is the first comic you remember reading?
SCOTT: I know for a long time I didn’t actual “read” any of the comics I had, I would just look at the pictures. But, the first real comic reading I did was in the 1990′s, highlights being the Spider-Man Maximum Carnage series and the Age of Apocalypse saga.
JMH: Do you read any of the new comic books that are being published today?
SCOTT: Being an 80s kid, I’ve got IDW’s newTMNTand Ghostbusters series’ on my Pull List. I also gave a few of DC’s New 52 a try, but the relaunch mostly fell flat for me. Being a creator I try to support other creator-owned books and small press. Recently, I discovered 215 Ink, a great small publisher out ofPhiladelphia. They have some great offerings in Extinct, Vic Boone and Beware… that I highly recommend.
JMH: Print versus Digital. Your thoughts…
SCOTT: What an excellent question! Print versus digital should be at the forefront of discussion from readers and LCSs to publishers and creators alike. With tablets, smart phones and the internet revolutionizing how we consume media, digital is here to stay and whoever decides to embrace it will find themselves ahead of the game.
JMH: Do you research your story ideas? If so, how?
SCOTT: I feel like I research everything. Even with Google and Wikipedia right at my fingertips, I have a fairly ridiculous reference library scattered about my apartment. Depending on the scope of the project, I’ll do light reference work online or read a a few books on the relevant subject. A lot of times during research I’ll uncover new and interesting people or anecdotes I’d how otherwise never heard of, which is often a source for new ideas.
JMH: What is your writing process like?
SCOTT: I used to spend so much time researching, outlining and planning my stories that I would never get around to actually writing them. So, now I just go. As soon as I have a story idea I’ll start putting the larger chunks of the story together in my head, beginning, middle, and end. Then I start scripting, throwing everything out on the page that I could possibly want, and refining and editing as I go to fit the length I think the story should be.
JMH: Do your stories carry a message?
SCOTT: That’s why I like writing comics. The medium is versatile enough that, if I feel like telling a message-driven story, I can. But, on those days when I feel like writing a story on the level of a SyFy Original or an 80s action flick, I can do that too.
JMH: Do you feel more comfortable with writing prose or comic book sequential storytelling?
SCOTT: At this point, definitely comic books. With comics, you’ve got page, panel, and word counts, page turns, story beats and all these guides and rules of thumb that help you structure your story. WIth prose, it’s just you, a blank page and the voice inside your head. I’ve always seen prose in a romantic light, maybe a reward at the end of what’s hopefully a successful career in writing for entertainment mediums. By then I may be comfortable enough with my prose to write the one or two good novels I have in me.
JMH: What are your thoughts on the DC Reboot/Relaunch?
SCOTT: I was really excited about it and ended up buying 15 of the “new” titles, but the books I was looking the most forward just feel flat. I feel they chose quantity over quality with the relaunch and there was more than a little head-scratching in regards to certain creative decisions. Regardless, I think it was a bold move on DC’s part to try and revitalize their properties and gain new readership, which our comic industry in general desperately needs.
JMH: What do you think Marvel’s response will be?
SCOTT: I don’t think Marvel’s had to respond to DC in any major way for a long time. For whatever reason, Marvel is more popular. They have more readers and they out-market DC from toys to film. They’ll continue to do what they do, which is crank out comics and rock the box offices.
JMH: What future projects are in the works?
SCOTT: I have a lot on my table! I’m seeing several projects come to fruition this year. One of the main things I’m up to is Savage Pulp, a self-published 50-page anthology comprised of all the comic shorts I’ve written and produced in the last two years. It’s kind of my “trial by fire” as a comic creator and I’m happy to say it’s on track for a summer release date.
Also, this year I’ll be making a big push for my creator-owned series Steele Vs. It’s an adventure/horror series set during the Yukon Gold Rush, starring Canadian frontier legend Sam Steele. It’s a blend of frontier justice and folklore tales. And lastly, my all-ages creator-owned series Ben Franklin S.O.S (Supernatural/Occult Solutions) is in development with a tentative release date of Halloween 2012 for the first issue. The series stars inventor Ben Franklin as he explores the supernatural and occult mysteries of Colonial America.
JMH: Where can fans get a hold of your books?
SCOTT: Once they see print, I’ll be selling both the Savage Pulp Anthology (Summer 2012) and Ben Franklin S.O.S. (Fall 2012) ) via my blog, Pistol-Whip Press. I will also have tables at Planet ComicCon (March 24th – 25th,Kansas City) and Project ComicCon (June 9th – 10th,Saint Louis) with my friend and collaborator,Saint Louisartist Brian Atkins. There I’ll have prints and promotional material for all my comic endeavors.
JMH: How can fans and publishers contact you?
SCOTT: Fans can always follow my blog, Pistol-Whip Press as well as friend requesting me on Facebook where I update my comic work regularly. I can also be reached by email: penmagnet@gmail.com.
JMH: Anything else you’d like to mention that we haven’t covered yet?
SCOTT: For sure. Support comics of every kind, small press and big. Support your Local Comic Shop. We’re all in it together.
JMH: Scott, CBI appreciates your time! All the best!
SCOTT: Thanks so much for the opportunity! Keep up the good work here at CBI.
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About the interviewer –
John Michael Helmer is the Publisher and CEO of Red Leaf Media, LLC. Red Leaf Media operates: www.ComicBookInterviews.com & www.RedLeafComics.com.
John’s creator-owned properties include: The Leaf, Canada’s Greatest Hero, Sky Watcher, G.I.s versus Zombies, McSorly, RCMP, The Armor Guardians, The Huskie, Dune, Master Spy!, and many others.
John can be reached at: jhelmer@comicbookinterviews.com and redleafcomics@gmail.com
