The announcement of “Crimson Flower” being produced on Patreon by writer Matt Kindt (“Mind MGMT”), artist and letterer Matt Lesniewski (“Antique”), and colorist Bill Crabtree (“The Sixth Gun”) comes at a time when the comic book market has been undeniably impacted by the new coronavirus paradigm. The shutdown of Diamond Comic Distributors has left publishers sending pencils-down notifications to creators and comic book stores scrambling to adjust to the absence of new products being shipped while adhering to stay-at-home orders for themselves and their consumers. Thankfully, comics continue to be made.
“Crimson Flower” is a comic book about a Russian pharmaceutical rep named Rodion who self-medicates on mind-altering drugs as she travels across the country selling pills to doctors’ offices. The delusions and paranoia she experiences blends her modern-day reality with images of the Russian folk tales she read as a child. As she attempts to manage her condition and travel the country, Rodion also searches for her father’s killer to exact revenge.
In the interview that follows, Kindt discusses the origins of “Crimson Flower” and the decision to move the project to Patreon in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The “Crimson Flower” Patreon page has new posts everyday since its launch detailing the scripting, layouts, inking, and final pages of the comic book in addition to design sketches of characters and settings. The $5 a month membership unlocks access to these posts and helps support comic book creators during this precarious time.
Matt, how did “Crimson Flower” come about?
Matt Kindt: I’d been seeing Matt Lesniewski’s insane commissions on social media – and just loving them – and then I realized – I bought his book last year (“The Freak”) at Heroes Con – and had loved it – I’m just terrible at names. I recognize art and book titles – but names – they escape me. Anyway – I put that together and we got talking – I had an idea kicking around that I thought he might be perfect for.
Were you working on this project with Matt Lesniewski and Bill Crabtree prior to the coronavirus pandemic? How much did the idea shift with the inclusion of Matt L. and Bill?
MK: Yeah – we’d just started to work on it – with the idea to publish – and then printers, publishers, and distributors all just stopped working. I had a conversation with Matt – and neither one of us wanted to stop – we’d really gotten on a roll so we started figuring out a way to keep working it and make up a little money to pay the electric bill as he and Bill work. Patreon seemed like the cleanest and easiest way to get them money directly while we wait for the comic industry to flip the switch back on again.
What are the long term goals for “Crimson Flower?” How many pages per issue? How many issues in the run?
MK: It’s probably around 80-100 conventional pages. It can always be more – ideas just seem to spawn ideas – but right now I have a self-contained idea for the story with a definite end – which of course – also works as a beginning for another story. We’ll see!
What inspired you to set “Crimson Flower” in Russia and use Slavic folklore and mythology?
MK: I’m a huge fan of Artyom Trakhanov (“7 Deadly Sins”) and if you haven’t read his “Slavic Nihilism” mini comics – you should! He got me turned on to Russian folklore, but I’d also read a bunch of it a few years ago while I was writing “Divinity” for Valiant. I’d come up with a series of Russian characters that were based on old Russian folk tales, but more of a super hero bent to them, so I was familiar with a lot of it and I really just like the vibe – the dark moral lessons – that all folk tales have.
Have there been any changes to the project now that it is being released through Patreon as opposed to a traditional publisher?
MK: Not really – just inspired by all these late night talk show hosts really – pulling back the curtain a little bit and showing the process and showing us as human beings – working in our homes – I really love that. That honesty and transparency – to show readers what it’s like to make comics and live the crazy lives we’ve chosen – comics as a career doesn’t have a safety net. We’re doing it for the love of the medium – we don’t have health insurance or regular pay checks. We end up steaming along full speed through our careers without having an idea how it’s all going to turn out – and leaving a trail of comic books in our wake.
Continued belowThe first post in the Patreon for the project is a design sheet for Rodion, the main character of “Crimson Flower.” Where do you start when you design a character? How many revisions does it take before you decide on a final look?
MK: I left that entirely up to other-Matt for this one. I was glad to kind of generally describe her vibe and let him come up with some ideas. I think I added a white streak to her hair – that was my contribution…(laughs).
Is there a central theme you want to focus on in this story?
MK: Well. I’ve only outlined the story and scripted the first issue – so I don’t know what the theme is. The theme is what happens when I’m done writing and I hate being aware of the theme while I’m writing. That part just takes care of itself. But the basics of the plot are: a woman with some problems of her own (of a psychological nature) goes out to get revenge on the assassins who killed her father – so she ends up going down the list – killing assassin after assassin until she’s sure she’s got the right one. So the theme so far…is revenge maybe? And the toll it takes on you? Or maybe not. We’ll see what happens to her at the end…!
In the past, I’ve seen that you aren’t the biggest fan of fantasy. Is “Crimson Flower” a way for you to lean into the fantasy genre?
MK: Ha! Yeah – well, I think it’s maybe magic that I think is problematic – so I tend to run head-long into things I don’t like to find the thing that I can like – or to bend a genre into something that does appeal to me. I do love folk tales and I (for some reason I can’t identify) love Conan the Barbarian – so I think I’m just trying to reconcile the fact that I like Conan… which doesn’t fit anything else that I consider myself to be passionate about (spies, mysteries, history).
Can you tease what’s ahead for “Crimson Flower?”
MK: There is a lot of violence and some really trippy, psychological horror coming your way. Painstakingly illustrated by Matt and colored by Bill – it looks INSANE! And the story is gonna match that. And veins…there are a LOT of veins in this book…(laughing).
