Multiversity Comics Presents: Team Reed Gunther

Today on Multiversity Comics Presents, I talk with Team Reed Gunther, also known as brothers Chris and Shane Houghton. Chris is the artist and Shane is the writer of Image Comics’ title Reed Gunther, a book that is a blast of good natured, all-ages fun, tracking the adventures of a mustachioed cowboy and his best friend and bear (that he rides) Sterling as they fight monsters and basically cause trouble while fixing problems. It’s inventive, clever and filled with bright and energetic art. Basically, it’s the bee’s knees.

Click through the jump, as I talk to Chris and Shane about how Reed Gunther came to me, the trials and tribulations of self-publishing and self-promotion, who they think would voice Reed Gunther, and a whole lot more.

Also, if you haven’t yet, pick up the first trade paperback or this week’s issue #6 (totally standalone and new reader friendly!). It’s a damn good book, folks.

First question’s an easy one for you guys: what is Reed Gunther all about and why should everyone be reading it?

SHANE: Reed Gunther is a bear-riding cowboy. Imagine if you were scooting around the old west on a boring old horse, and then all of a sudden this guy with a sweet mustache rolls up next to you on a GRIZZLY BEAR. You’d be like, “Quick! Put that in a comic so I can read it!” Reed Gunther is an adventurous, exciting, funny book about friendship and fighting monsters.

The cast of Reed Gunther

Where did the idea come from for Reed Gunther? More specifically, how exactly did you decide he’d ride a bear that also was his best friend?

SHANE: Chris was contributing to a small comics anthology book in Michigan and wanted to do a space thing. They already had too many space stories so Chris thought he would do a Western, which is kinda like space. Then you gotta have something awesome and unique about your main character, so he was plopped on top of a bear instead of a horse, and magic was made.

CHRIS: But I only took Reed and Sterling so far on my own… which wasn’t very far at all. The anthology folded after a few issues and I shelved Reed Gunther. It wasn’t until Shane came along and breathed new life into the characters and created Starla, that the series really started to become something cool.

What’s it like working together and creating comics as brothers? Have you two always worked together on projects of this sort, even as kids?

SHANE: It’s awesome. We’re very open and honest with each other and always push one another to do the best possible work we’re capable of. If we phone our work in, the other can tell and will get on the other’s case to step it up. We’re constantly pushing each other to make the best possible book we can. I think everybody wins with that equation. As kids, we were always playing and imagining together which is when we were probably the most creative. We always had a blast coming up with crazy scenarios to play in as kids, and this is probably the best way to do the same sort of thing as adults. Cause if we were running around with Lego pirate ships while wearing Ninja Turtle sweatshirts, we may get some funny looks.

CHRIS: Exactly. Shane and I let each other do what each other does best: he writes, I draw. But that doesn’t stop us from looking at each others work and making sure it’s up to snuff!

Reed Gunther was previously self-published, but then you struck up a deal with Image Comics to release the book. How’d that come together?

SHANE: We self-published four issues in black and white and quickly realized that self-publishing is TOUGH. We loved making comics, promoting them, and exhibiting at conventions, but it was all the printing and money stuff that got us down. We submitted a nice looking proposal package along with some finished comic books to a few different publishers. Image was our dream publisher, but we thought it was a long shot since we didn’t know anyone there. Luckily, the publisher, Eric Stephenson, was incredibly receptive and excited for the project so we were thrilled when he contacted us.

CHRIS: Image Comics is such a perfect home for us since we were already a bit used to the self-publishing world. Our transition into Image was a very smooth one and we couldn’t be happier. They’re great folks and really believe in creator-owned books. And you can see that support in the actions of the company every day.

The first five issues felt like a mini-series in their own right, with a story that had a beginning, middle and end, and the sixth issue develops the backstory of our heroes. What can we look forward to once we get into the Wild West that is entirely new material?

SHANE: Issues #6 through #8 will be completely stand alone, done-in-one adventures. We wanted folks to feel free to jump in at any point in the series and have a pretty decent grasp of what’s going on. In those issues, #6 is an origin story of when Reed and Sterling first met each other, #7 is a werewolf story with a twist unlike I’ve ever seen done with a werewolf before, and in issue #8, Reed takes the backseat as Starla becomes the main character for an issue! In that one, our tough girl Starla has an identity crisis and thinks she should start acting more “girly”. Reed is stuck in a hole in the ground for the majority of the issue. Oh, and there’s resurrected mummies that are trying to kill them. I love it.

And then in issues #9 and #10, this is an epic two-parter that you should only read if you’ve read all the other issues. It’s going to be crazy, nuts, and insane. And probably some other words that mean the same thing. Here’s a hint for the story… Reed vs Sterling.

As you’re moving past the initial arc into entirely new material, what is your brainstorming process for creating new story concepts and characters?

SHANE: I do a lot of research to try and make the stories at least somewhat historically accurate, and in doing so, tons of new information, props, events, and locations pop up that are all easily used as fuel for new stories. Or sometimes Chris and I will just think of something cool and then we try our hardest to fit that into a story.

CHRIS: I’m lucky enough to have a writer like Shane to work with that if I think of a scene or setting that I’d really love to see, he usually tries to fit it in. That’s awesome. As for characters, settings, and props, Shane usually gives as much information as he can about everything. His scripts are great fun to read and are jam-packed with entertaining tidbits. He does a great job of painting up the story with descriptions of visuals, and then it’s up to me to provide those visuals.

Reed Gunther is a book that really is “all-ages,” in that it’s harmless for kids but fun for everyone. I compared it to the Pixar movies in that regard recently. Given the difficulties those types of titles have had from a sales aspect in the industry, what obstacles have you guys had to overcome to find your audience?

SHANE: First off, thank you for that amazing Pixar compliment. Chris and I are both big fans of animation and I absolutely love Pixar flicks. I usually write scripts while listening to scores from Pixar movies. That’s a huge compliment for us. As for what obstacles we’ve overcome to find our audience… I don’t think we’ve actually overcome that obstacle yet! We’re still getting discovered by folks very slowly. We’ve done tons of appearances all across the country, have a pretty good online presence, and have tried all sorts of interesting press things. We had a live 8-foot snake for the premier of our first issue, “The Steak Snacking Snake”, we’ve released a really fun press release in the form of a comic, we’ve had contests and give-aways… but we’re still moving slowly. I think we’re still trying to shake the stigma that we’re a “kids” book. We’re truly all-ages like good adventure stories should be! Like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Bone, or Indiana Jones.

CHRIS: I think it’s an uphill battle to try and sell a “fun” comic book nowadays. There just aren’t many of them and there’s a reason for that. Most comic book shop customers want to see another story about a character who’s main skill is killing people in a new and exciting way. The stories are all very adult-themed and not very funny. It’s as if comics aren’t supposed to be fun any more. Everyone says comics should be fun and they want more all-ages material, but then when that content is provided, there aren’t a lot of people who actually buy it. That’s fine. We’ll continue to do the kind of comics we like. Not everyone loves a book like Reed Gunther but those who do really seem to love it. For that, I couldn’t be happier.

Guy Davis’ Reed Gunther pin-up

I thought it was ridiculously cool that Guy Davis provided a pin-up and the foreword for the Reed Gunther trade. How’d that come together, and do you have more guest artists onboard for pin-ups coming up?

SHANE: Guy is incredibly sweet and was a mentor for us as we were getting started in comics. He lived close to where we grew up and I think Chris bumped into him at a con. After that, we hung out at his house a few times and sent him a bunch of annoying emails filled with questions about the comic industry. He’s always been helpful and patient with us and our work. When we decided we wanted a foreword to the trade, Guy was our go-to and we’re thrilled that he accepted.

In the trade we’ve got pin ups from Robb Mommaerts and Stan Sakai (with Usagi Yojimbo riding Sterling to boot)! In our old self-published issues, we would pack those with at least six pin ups in every issue. We’ll be running more in the back of our new issues and we’ll put a ton in the next trade.

CHRIS: Guy is one of the best artists in the industry and we couldn’t be happier that he was willing to provide a pin-up and write our forward. He’s been an incredible help in all things comics and we’re lucky to know him!

Reed is a man who has his fair share of one-liners (personal favorite: “biscuits and gravy!”). I’d like to think the process for creating those is walking around shouting objects you see and hoping to find something that sticks, but how do you really come up with those?

SHANE: Ha! I wish I was that crazy! I’ll have to try out some Reed Gunther exclamations in the grocery store or something. Really, they usually just come to me as I’m writing– which is a boring answer, I know. But they usually have something to do with food. I like, “SMOKIN’ GUACAMOLE!” and “PICKLED BEETS!” has sort of become Reed’s personal catch phrase now (even though Starla said it first in issue #1…).

CHRIS: Ha! Yeah, I always love seeing the new exclamations Shane comes up with. When we’re at signings, Shane tries to come up with new ones to write on the covers of the issues people buy. It’s funny to watch him hurt his head trying to think of a new ridiculous saying on the spot, 50 times a day.

Y the Last Man was another comic that had a non-anthropomorphic animal as one of the leads, and Ampersand the capuchin monkey had an issue all to himself. That leads me to the question: when are we going to get an all Sterling issue?

SHANE: Oh man, that would be too cool! I’ve got a great Sterling story I’ve been wanting to do but… the book is called “REED GUNTHER”. Y had like 60 issues or something so they could do crazy stuff like that. Right now, we’ve only got a 10 issue deal with Image so we’re tight for stories. But I’ll promise you now, if we ever get to 25 issues, there will definitely be an all Sterling book. Or at least one where he’s the lead (like how Starla is the lead in #8).

Creator-owned books are awesome in that they afford you ability to make comics that are entirely your own (and ones that star cowboys who ride bears). However, to make them work you have to put in a lot of time promoting them. What percentage of the time do you guys spend simply promoting the book, and what have you felt has worked the best for getting Reed Gunther out there?

SHANE: We spend a TON of time promoting Reed. I would say at least as much time as we put into working on the book. The best way we’ve seen to get through to people is to actually meet them at a con or something, and have a real interaction with them. We love chatting with comic fans! I can’t tell you how many times we’ll chat with someone at a con, give them one of our free mini-comics, and then they show up later that day or the next day to buy all our issues. Sooooo actually I’d say it’s those free mini-comics we’re giving away. They’re one sheet of printer paper folded over to make an 8-page, black and white mini-comic. They’re cheap to produce, have all the information of a business card, but also contains a completely original and self-contained story. So people get a real taste of the book with no risk.

CHRIS: Some days I wish all I had to do was draw the comic- that’d be easy! No, Shane and I both have on and off days jobs. He edits TV shows and I work at Nickelodeon. Besides that and the freelance jobs we take on top of everything (Shane’s writing Peanuts stories and just finished a Casper story while I’m doing covers for the Adventure Time comic book series), we travel to conventions and do lots of promotional work. It’s a crazy schedule but that all seems to be forgotten when I hold the newest issue in my hands. It’s so rewarding!

Reed Gunther: man or mustache?

Mustaches: why are they so amazing, and when can we order our own Reed Gunther fake mustache like the one Reed wears in issue six?

SHANE: HA! What a great idea! You can make your own at home! Simply cut off some of your own hair, glue it to a mustache-shaped piece of paper, then tie that paper around your head and place the ‘stache under your nose! Now you’re a REAL man!

CHRIS: Or just find a stranger who has a mustache and shave his off and staple it to your own face!

Last question: whose voice do you imagine as the perfect voice for Reed (besides your own when you’re reading it)?

SHANE: Nathan Fillion. That’s what everybody says and we completely agree.

CHRIS: Yep.