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Vampires, Twilight and Suckers: Comic Book Writer Pat Shand Speaks!

Comic Books

Vampires, Twilight and Suckers: Comic Book Writer Pat Shand Speaks!

Comedic comic books are a rare thing. Good comedy comics are even harder to come by, which makes it all the more special when you find one. Pat Shand recently let us check out his new creator-owned series Suckers, a dark vampire comedy, and I was floored with how funny and fun it was. We sat down with Pat to talk about his new series, his thoughts on Twilight and arguing for more vampire comics.

Vampires, Twilight and Suckers: Comic Book Writer Pat Shand Speaks!
Variant cover for Suckers #0 by Tradd Moore. Colored by Javier Reyes.

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AiPT: Thanks for taking the time to talk about your new book. Give us the elevator pitch for this new series.

Vampires, Twilight and Suckers: Comic Book Writer Pat Shand Speaks!

Pat Shand: Suckers is a comedy about a pair of blood pong playing vampires who take issue with the current depiction of their kind in movies. Armed with a camcorder and their bloodlust, they hit the streets with the intention of making their own reality horror film to give vampires back their bite.

AiPT: I’ve had the opportunity to check out the first issue, Suckers #0, and it’s pretty twisted in its dark humor. In a good way! Is this your first work of this type?

Pat Shand: Nope. I also write theatre, and I’ve written a bunch like this. My first play is called Inpregnito!, which was about a homeless teenager attempting to sell her unborn child to a celebrity couple. I’m pretty comfortable in the genre of humor that makes people wonder if I’m actually a terrible person. (I’m not, I love kitties.)

Vampires, Twilight and Suckers: Comic Book Writer Pat Shand Speaks!
Blood pong playing vampires from Suckers #0. Clever.

AiPT: A major plot element in this first arc deals with a movie series that looks a lot like Twilight. What’s your relationship to that series?

Pat Shand: It’s almost cliché to think that Twilight sucks, you know? It’s not saying anything new to claim, “Twilight blows the big one.” The book isn’t about Twilight per se, so I wouldn’t really want to dwell on what I think about the books, so—eh, fuck it, yeah, Twilight blows the big one. In general, though, the idea of the book is, what if a vampire like the Twilight guy, what if he were really a vampire—how would he be in real life, and what would his motivation be in making these films that humanize vampires, and how would actual monstrous vampires react to it. In a funny way. Hopefully.

“It’s almost cliché to think that Twilight sucks, you know?”

AiPT: To anyone who says there are too many vampire comics, what say you?

Pat Shand: I’d ask where they are, because I’m seeing about .000001 vampire books for every ten superhero comics. And I can guarantee that Suckers, for better or worse, is like no other book on the shelf, vampire or otherwise. I’d say give Suckers a chance—it’s free, so if you think it’s just old hat, then you haven’t wasted your time. I think, though, that co-creator and artist Ian McGinty has created this vibrant, cartoonish world with me that people will have a really fun time playing in. I could do Suckers with Ian for one-hundred issues and still not be tired of getting pages from him. He’s going to be (and kind of already is, which makes me want to kill him) a superstar artist.

AiPT: And is this digital only? Self published?

Pat Shand: Nope. It’s digital-first, and it’s coming out through Zenescope, like all of my other creator-owned books at this time.

AiPT: Tell us about Ian McGinty, where’d you find this artist extraordinaire? Is he the same artist doing covers from Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors?

Pat Shand: Yep! And Hello Kitty and his own book as well, so hey—he’s on the rise. He’s a genius, and one of my favorite artists to work with, period. I found his work in a SCAD brochure, and contacted him right away. We’ve been lovers I MEAN COLLABORATORS, NOTHING MORE, VERY INNOCENT ever since.

Vampires, Twilight and Suckers: Comic Book Writer Pat Shand Speaks!
Cover for Suckers #0 by Ian McGinty. Colored by Javier Reyes.

AiPT: How long is this series going for?

Pat Shand: We’re starting with a zero issue (for free on Comixology starting AUGUST 14th!) and then launching a monthly miniseries that will go for a four issue arc. We’ll take a break and see if Zenescope wants to continue and if Ian can swing it. We’ve been talking about going far beyond even #10, because we love the characters—ideally, we’d have a guest artist do one-shots for us, and then have Ian do four-issue arcs every now and then. Maybe an arc a year or so. Depends on the response to the first series, so please—holler at me!

“I can guarantee that Suckers, for better or worse, is like no other book on the shelf, vampire or otherwise.”

AiPT: LIGHTNING ROUND!

Pat Shand: Ahhhh!

AiPT: What do you collect?

Pat Shand: Comics! All things Whedon! Ah!

AiPT: What’s your most prized/treasured possession?

Pat Shand: My hardcover Blankets! Some personal letters and also, totally my Snoopy doll. Because I’m a manly man—can’t you tell by the beard?

AiPT: What are you stressed about now?

Pat Shand: Literally everything! It’s a way of life, Dave.

Check out Suckers #0 for free on Comixology August 14th!

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