INTERVIEW: What the ‘HEK’ is this Treasury on Kickstarter?
Image courtesy of HEK Studios / Provided by Superfan Promotions with permission.
Comic book creators Brian Hurtt, Marie Enger and Matt Kindt are ready to get a little experimental, and fans no doubt are ready to treasure their output.
The team is finishing up a Kickstarter campaign for The HEK Treasury, an omnibus of comics, created and curated by Hurtt, Enger and Kindt. The stories will run the gamut, from science fiction to fantasy, and each creator will have the chance to flex their creative muscles. The project will be created in their renovated Route 66 garage in St. Louis.
The project is called The HEK Treasury because of the creators’ last names (H + E + K), and the treasury aspect is because this promises to be a treasure trove of off-beat comic storytelling.
The final product, if the Kickstarter is funded (hint: it has met its minimum and several stretch goals), will run more than 100 pages and be bound as a large prestige hardcover book. Full color art? Check. Tri-fold narrative poster? Check. Loose-leaf story cards? Check. Signed and numbered? Yes, if fans opt for the deluxe edition.
Kindt’s contribution is called The Great Mech Wars about an old, sad war-mech operated by a veteran on fire-watch duty. Enger has several stories in the Treasury, all of them dystopian tales in ruined worlds. Hurtt’s story covers the issues of genetic manipulation and mad science — very moo ha ha.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the team. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
If this project gets funded, what can fans expect from The HEK Treasury?
KINDT: I was actually thinking this yesterday when I was driving home from the studio. We were really close to funding — and it looks like we’ll probably hit it today as I answer this. And I was thinking about all of the crazy/cool design elements we’re already putting into this. And then I started to think of some more ideas.
I really want this book to look like nothing else you’ve got on the shelf. With this funding we’re really going to be able to make this a book you open up and fall into. It’s going to be immersive. The larger format helps, and the fold-out spreads will really pull you into it.
But with the stretch goals we have planned … there’s going to be a lot more. We’re hoping to pump up our page count. We have a lot of story to put into this. And we have some other fun add-ons. I created a paper-craft robot that you build … but the directions for the robot also contain more story that ties into one of the narratives inside the book.
We have a lot of fun ideas that are absolutely not practical from a publishing standpoint … but from a storytelling and a coolest-book-on-earth standpoint? They’re absolutely necessary.
ENGER: A lot of really cool stories? Like Matt said — larger format, cooler design elements … stories that we get to do how we want to do them (no matter how experimental they are). We funded! We’re gonna make it cooler! Expect the experimental.
Does it feel extra special that this independent project comes with total creative control?
KINDT: I feel like I’ve been pretty fortunate in my career with publishing partners. Dark Horse and Boom! have been absolutely great to work with. I’ve never really felt any kind of creative constraints with story. What I think makes this project different is that I have a direct hand in the production of the book.
And having that direct hand on the production gives me time to think about elements that I normally take for granted. I love the technical aspects of creating a book. Picking the paper and the binding … and figuring out a way to mess with the format.
How can we incorporate interactive stickers into this thing? How many times can we make a spread fold out? Tri-fold? Quadruple fold? We’re going to find out — and push it as far as we can.
ENGER: Yeah. Like … look, I’ve been lucky that I’ve honestly just been too weird to constrain. Everyone just let me do my thing, and when someone wasn’t into my idea I’d just do it myself. I’ve been lucky! But I’ve never actually had to compromise on things before … so that’s what’s been really interesting to me. Brian, Matt and I are always discussing what we are gonna do to the cover, what new stuff we want to try. With Nosferatu, Casket Land, and the Bones of This Place … I got to go nuts. Here … I still do … but as a group! It feels independent, but also it’s such a close collaboration.
Is all of the work on the book done? Are these stories coming from past ideas or new ideas or a mixture?
KINDT: I think we’re all at various stages of production at this point. I have all of my stories written (and a few more in anticipation of reaching our stretch goals — which will increase page count.) And I’m a few weeks from being done with art. We have a pretty aggressive deadline, so we should be wrapping up with art soon after the Kickstarter ends. We’ll be posting process video all along the way, so everyone that’s backing this will be able to be a part of the experience.
We really want to be transparent on the process. That’s what I love about Kickstarter. It’s kind of a throwback to the old days with artists and patrons. It’s a direct connection with no one in-between. I think it’s that kind of intimate connection between reader and creator that you can’t get any other way.
ENGER: Oof … well … not on my end if I’m being honest. But my scripts are all on their third drafts, and I work fast. This is my first priority soooo I’ll not be doing any more new stuff until this is over (which is really hard for me — I like to work on a lot all at once). I’m excited to record myself inking all the pages — if not just for my own records, for everyone who just wants to veg out and watch some weirdo ink.
Will this be the first of several treasuries? Or, are you just focused on this initial project?
KINDT: Definitely focused on making this the biggest most bonkers book that we can. But we have plans and ideas for the next few years … a lot of fun new things planned. But … one at a time. What I can promise is that you’ll never be bored by the format or the production or the kind of book we create. We won’t be repeating ourselves or anything else out there.
ENGER: I promised Matt and Brian, hell, I just promised you! This is the only thing I’m thinking of right now!
(but uhhh …. we got big plans for the future)
Is there any crossover between your stories, or are they truly independent from one another?
KINDT: We didn’t intentionally cross-over, but theme and genre is going to really be the thread that holds our work together. We do have a few stories in here that our going to get us mixed together — I’m writing one for Marie, Brian is drawing one for me to paint. … We’re going to have a few fun stories in here that mix it up. I really want to do some inking as well. We’ll see!
ENGER: I’m drawing for Matt (BLOOD ROBOT!) and writing a bonkers stoner comedy for Brian (StL style pizza goes to outer space? Hell yeah!)! I’m really excited to see what we’ll all do together when we hit those stretch goals and get more pages!
When did you first fall in love with comics?
KINDT: I fell in love three different times.
First love (fifth grade): G.I.Joe #1 — with the cut-away view of the underground headquarters. I still love cut-away views.
Second love (seventh grade): Daredevil #191 — Frank Miller’s original run culminating with that hospital scene between DD and Bullseye. Opened my eyes to an absolutely thrilling comic … that doesn’t have a fight scene.
Final love (college): Dan Clowes’ Eightball #1-3. Opened my eyes to the multitude of directions you can go in comics.
ENGER: Oof uhh … When Matt taught me in college? Before then my only experience had been SQUEE! and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But I can tell you what I love now!
Abe Sapien. All Abe Sapien.
Mourning Star by Kazimir Strzepek
Rumble! I love Rumble.
I also read a lot of zines and self-published stuff. The list goes on and on, but if I was picking three to talk about for three hours those uh … would be the three.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The HEK Treasury Kickstarter campaign closes Wednesday, Sept. 11. Click here for more information and to contribute.
