Comics have given us a variety of worlds ranging from haunting tales to space opera classics. One of the most common varieties of comics has to be superheroes and there are many types of stories for us to enjoy. Now the folks over at Scout Comics are serving up a new way to enjoy this genre and we had a chance to talk to them about it
TR: Please introduce yourself.
AB: Hey internet, Adam Barnhardt here! When I’m not trying to wrangle the world that is SH*TSHOW, I’m wearing many hats from entertainment journalist to marketer.
TR: What inspired you to go into comics?
AB: Comics are an incredible medium for storytelling. Whereas reading a novel allows a reader to form the world in their entire worldview, comics gives them a starting point and lets them fill in between the panels. I’ve wanted to tell this particular story for a while now and figured comics would be the best way to get it out there. I was raised in a family of collectors and my dad has amassed a massive comics collection and the older I got, the more interested I got in the medium.
TR: Tell us how you got involved with Scout Comics.
AB: Like most other indie books go, I had worked with a team of creators — in this case, artist Samir Simao and colorist Warnia Sahadewa — to put together a pitch packet. We did that with the first six pages we got and went on the usual submissions circuit and luckily for us, Scout found us a fit for the label. Coincidentally enough, Scout was one of, if not the most desirable publishers on our list because tonally, this book fits in very well with most of the company’s more adult titles.
TR: You have a new series coming out tell us all about Sh*t show.
AB: A cataclysmic event strips away the powers of most (but not all) powered people on Earth. SH*TSHOW follows the few that have managed to keep their powers after they’ve decided to band together in the form of a traveling circus and monetize their powers. As with the balance of the universe and such, not all powered people remaining have the best intentions.
TR: Who are some of the heroes and villains that we will see in this book?
AB: Leading the way is Richard McCoy — a.k.a. the demigod Legend. At one point, he was the blue-collar, no-nonsense leader of Legend’s Legion, the world’s primary team for defense. After the cataclysm, he founded The Magnificent McCoy’s, a traveling carnival where powered people can still show off their traits.
TR: Besides you, who else is working on the book?
AB: Joining me are Samir Simao, an awesome artist that’s taking care of both pencils and inks. He’s also drawn the primary covers for our first three-issue mini-series. Warnia Sahadewa is doing colors while LetterSquids is handling the lettering.
TR: Is this going to be an ongoing series or a limited series?
AB: Right now, we have this initial three-issue series planned and in the works. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a larger SH*TSHOW universe planned, but we’ll see how this goes.
TR: Would you bring this to other media such as TV or animated series?
AB: Absolutely! I’m sure if you ask most creators, they’d love seeing their worlds translated for film or television. It certainly has the tones of a Futurama-style show, so I’d love seeing it go that route.
TR: Ok, I am sold on this. When is this coming out?
AB: To be determined! At this point, it’s looking like this will be a late summer/early fall release date. At the moment, we’re just hitting the ground running and laying the groundwork when it comes to a brand and growing a fanbase. Leading up to release, we’ll be sending out periodic e-mail newsletters with some exclusive content, so be sure to check that out at our website at http://poop.show. We’re also doing some in canon viral marketing on our Facebook page so you’ll have to check that out as well if you want some additional goodies!
TR: What other projects are you working on?
AB: I’m always working on something [laughs]. In addition to fleshing out some SH*TSHOW things, I have another story I’m actively developing that I’d love to share more about, but can’t. You’ll have to stay tuned on that front!
TR: Anything else you’d like to add?
AB: SH*TSHOW is very much a story about seeing these powered people on a human level. It’s a story about false idols, battling your inner demons, and what it takes to move just the tiniest bit forward. It’s a delightful mess and I can’t wait to bring it to you all.
And there you have it folks! You want to see more of this head over to http://poop.show to get the lowdown on this new series. And as always make sure you check out scout comics for new and upcoming titles at https://www.scoutcomics.com/ you’ll be glad you did.
