Interviews
THE CAMPAIGN CORNER: May 7 Edition
HEIRS OF ISILDUR vs TALES FROM NOCTURNIA Vinyl Record+ Comic
Thank you both for doing this interview. So, you have a number of titles you’ve created, but your last one was TALES FROM NOCTURNIA #1-3 and now you have a new Kickstarter running currently for HEIRS OF ISILDUR vs TALES FROM NOCTURNIA Vinyl Record + Comic. I wanted this interview with you because of your current Kickstarter features something pretty awesome and that is well you have a whole album on there people can grab when they back you on there, but what I love (obviously the comic elements), but you have a vinyl record! I may know the answer to this, but others may not so…why a vinyl record?
MK: When Steph first said to me “Since it’s time for this album to be released, I want us to consider doing it on vinyl” I had that same reaction (Why a Vinyl Record?). However, the more I dug into the merits, the more it became a no brainer. Vinyl not only accounts for more units sold than any other physical medium, it’s nearly 2/3 of all revenue generated in that space as well. Most importantly, we are in a collector’s market, and what’s more cool to collect than an oversized piece of cover art and a colorful record!
Your comics are influenced by steampunk, I’m gonna be honest with you I am not that into that much, but it does look cool and well I obviously will support you any chance I can get. So, why steampunk?
MK: The steampunk aesthetic started as an allegory but became a literal interpretation afterwards. When I first returned to writing music after many years away I found myself pulling lyrics from unused pieces I had previously created, repurposing them, and creating something new. That’s exactly what’s at the heart of steampunk is that creativity and ability to use that which already exists and turn it into something new. That began utilizing the steampunk look. I had done the black and goth look for many years in metal and I wanted to do something more classy and so the literal steampunk look just made perfect sense.
As for the comic storyline itself – I think what we do is much more sci-fi and adventure and traditional steampunk. The ‘Nightmare Scenario’ story especially is the wildest adventure we’ve ever written in any genre so hopefully that tickles your fancy a bit!
I still have your latest legen-wait for it-dary book in my massive read pile among the million others I promise I will get to as soon as I can. Anyways, this is about the vinyl record! So, do each of you have a favorite song on the record? If so, what are they and why?
SC: For me on the Heirs side, I have to pick ‘A Matter of Conscience’. That’s for sentimental reasons mostly as it’s the first song Matt ever played for me, but also because I love the guitar riff in it. On the Nocturnia side, I love ‘Kindred Spirits’. The lyrics are beautiful, and it’s one I actually pushed to be on the album in the first place.
MK: ‘The Perilous Prospects of the Portals’ is probably the most fun song to sing in the car, and the lyrical content focuses on a super important aspect of The Crossroads Conundrum story arc… but in truth, I could probably make a statement similar to that about every single song on the album. No filler. All meat.
Your current Kickstarter has some pretty awesome rewards backers can snag. Obviously the record, but I love the glow-in-the-dark picks that the early backers got (that’s me)! Alright, so about the vinyl record…you have two variants well that I know of as of right now. Which of the two do you like? I really like The Dragon’s Lair one though The Portal variant is pretty sick!
MK: I’m all into crazy neon and glow in the dark stuff, so of course the Dragon’s Lair variant appeals, but then again we picked the two because that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Surprisingly enough, in early sales more people have leaned towards the Portal variant.
SC: Oh man, I love both so much, but if I had to pick, I’d go with the orange/green splatter. I’m a vinyl collector myself, and that’s the one that would jump out to me if I wasn’t involved in the project and was looking for one to buy.
What is your favorite genre to write?
SC: My first genre love in all things will always be horror. It’s what spoke to me first from a creative standpoint in all mediums – be it books, movies, etc. Some of my earliest works are straight horror pieces. One thing I love is that we’ve been able to bring some horror elements through in our current works, which may seem surprising with Steampunk and Fantasy. It’s enough to really scratch that itch for me though, while also leaning into the areas Matt really loves to write in as well.
MK: For me it’s anything that is one step away from reality for our main character. What do I mean by that? In Heirs of Isildur Mykal was just going about his business – then ONE little thing happened, which snowballed into another and then another and the next thing you knew his world had forever changed. Same thing for Benonoch the Executioner in Tales From Nocturnia. This appeals to me because it’s not genre specific, and it means that the reader can more easily relate. Every one of us can say ‘I wonder what *I* would do if I were placed in that situation’ and so it makes the character and the story that much more relatable.
Do you see an end in sight for Heirs? If so, what would be the next genre or project?
MK: I think there could be, sure, but far into the future in this timeline (pun intended). We are about to start on ‘The Perilous Prospects’ which is the next full story arc, and then we have some ideas after that. As for the next genre or project…
SC: We’re excited to be working on something currently that is a full departure from anything else we’ve ever done. I think people will be surprised to see it from us, but we can promise it will be fun!
Alright, thank you so much for doing this interview. You rock and I can’t wait to see your Kickstarter smash way over your goal!
MK: Thanks we really appreciate it – and speaking of ‘goal’: for your readers out there please don’t let what our initial ask confuse you – we need far more than the $3500 ask to make this campaign ‘sing’ at the level we want it to. The production costs for five comic covers and multiple record variants is no joke. So let’s see where we all TOGETHER can get this thing up to!
To become a backer of this fine Kickstarter click here!
