If you don’t know Kyle Starks from his Eisner-nominated creator-owned work (“Sexcastle,” “Kill Them All”), you likely know him as the writer of franchise-based comics like “Rick and Morty” and “Dead of Winter.” This October, Starks is adding another franchise to his belt, as he and artist Chris Schweizer take on Dynamite’s “Mars Attacks.”
We got to talk with Starks about why Schweizer is “America’s Secret Best Cartoonist,” the challenges of scripting monosyllabic antagonists, and injecting some heart into a franchise known for over-the-top bombast. For that conversation and some exclusive “Mars Attacks” preview pages, read on.
Kyle, what made you want to add “Mars Attacks” to the already-impressive list of franchises you’ve taken on?
Kyle Starks: Well, in the face of full disclosure, I was graciously asked by Dynamite if I had any interest. They came to me. But I’ve been asked to do a fair amount of licensed books and I have zero interest in working on something I don’t have an affinity for. When our excellent editor, Kevin Kettner, asked me if I was into it, I said I’d only do it if I had a story idea I was really enthusiastic about. I basically woke up with one the next day. So, I’m truly thrilled to be here with Dynamite and Kevin and Chris on this project. It’s been a real blast from the get-go.
What sort of research went into plotting out “Mars Attacks,” the comic? Did you re-watch the Tim Burton movie a good number of times, or buy a set of the original trading cards?
KS: When Dynamite asked me if I was interested in the book, the first thing I did was ask for the cards. I had never seen all of them and knew that they were going to be primary source material for the book. I’ve got to say they blew me away. They’re basically a little comic as they are, and they’re tonally 100% up my alley.
I watched the Burton movie a ton as a young man, and my first concern was how can any moment in the Mars Attacks world ever top Jim Brown taking his cape off to bare-knuckle brawl aliens, but I think in the end we’ll be right there in how well that encapsulates so much about the Mars Attacks aesthetic.
You’re a noted action film fan, but are you a B-movie fan as well? Are there certain B-movie gimmicks or sensibilities you’re bringing to “Mars Attacks” from outside the Mars Attacks movie and trading cards themselves?
KS: My niche film leanings definitely, definitely favor action movies and B-action movies and I really, actually drew from that for this book. The Martians are such a delightful antagonist and so overpowered – I wanted to show sort of the other side of it. I wanted to show real people – perhaps real people who become real heroes – as they live in that explosive, high danger world. So there’s a fair amount of running and shooting to coincide with your Martian death rays and flaming cattle.
Narrowing in a bit, your “Mars Attacks” comic stars a character named Spencer, who seems like an “average Joe” sort of fellow from the description we’ve been given. What made you want to send a normal, cash-strapped millennial up against invaders from Mars?
KS: I’ve always, always, always been interested in Normal Guy in Extraordinary Situations. I definitely wanted to run with this theme with “Mars Attacks,” but with a bit of a twist. This book definitely has two protagonists: Spencer and his elderly, retired, widower, ex-military lifer dad The Major. Spencer is basically just what you described. He’s forever in and out jobs, a little listless, definitely still looking for his thing – and maybe, honestly, getting too old to still be looking. He feels like he’s a constant disappointment to his dad who’s always been capable and successful. And he probably has been.
As much as this story is about surviving a Martian Apocalypse, it’s about this father and son and their strained relationship and sort of being forced to be stuck with each other for an extended period of time. Is this the best time to be sorting out your relationship? Probably not? But here they are. They play off each other great, too. I think people are going to really respond to these characters or, at least, I hope they do. I love having a little heart in my books behind the explosions and jokes.
Continued belowOn the subject of “Mars Attacks”‘s bubble-headed aliens, you’re known for scripting characters who speak with a certain amount of panache. Have you found it challenging to write villains (assuming the Martians are villains) who speak in only “Ack! Ack! Ack!”s?
KS: The thing with the Martians is I think for who they are they are so great for on page acting – and I know Schweizer gets it 100%. That guy is a master and the sequential performance you’ll get out of the Martians is going to be as funny or emotive as a good one-liner, I promise. Writing the Martians interacting was always one of my favorite bits to write.
You’re both a writer and artist, and you’ve worked with Chris Schweizer, the artist on “Mars Attacks,” before, though in a different capacity. How has your guys’ relationship changed from “Rock Candy Mountain,” where you were writing and drawing and Chris was coloring, to “Mars Attacks,” where you’re only scripting?
KS: Chris moved about an hour away from me a few years back and we became close friends. I, a full grown adult, refer to him as my best friend, and it’s an honor to get to associate and commiserate with him much less work with him. He graciously volunteered his time to color “Rock Candy Mountain” – and here’s the thing he’s not a colorist. I say this all the time but I mean it, no friendship bias or hyperbole, I think he’s America’s Secret Best Cartoonist. He’s a three-time Eisner nominee and legitimately a master of sequential art. It’s an honor to work with someone so talented, and more for it to be someone you get along with in addition. I’m so excited for Chris to be on a book that likely has a lot more potential visibility than his past projects and for the comics world to see how good he is. He’s amazing.
I’m not sure, honestly, I even really answered the question. The thing with being a cartoonist, like myself, I definitely get an idea of what the page should look like and how I’d do it. The thing with Chris is you know he gets that immediately and almost definitely takes the bit and makes it better. He’s so good.
Without spoiling anything, do you have a favorite page or panel that Chris has sent in so far? And also, have the two of you leaned in to the “graphic” and bizarre nature of the source material?
KS: Chris was actually sending me a ton of panels and roughs this weekend while I was at Rose City Comic Con in Portland and, again, no hyperbole, every single one was pretty mind-blowing. Like, the level of detail, the attention to detail, the characters’ performances, the mayhem, the colors. I’ve seen a couple of death ray-ed folks and it’s so good. There’s a ton of decimation and mayhem in this issue, and he nails it.
And finally, Mars Attacks has been re-imagined quite a few times at this point. What will the Starks and Schweizer take add to the franchise?
KS: My sincere hope is that we add a little real heart to a franchise best known for super fun, bombastic mayhem. I think the relationship that Spencer and his Dad have will really resonate, but I’m going to tell you also that I think in the end this book that Chris and I have made will be a gem in the industry. Chris’s work is so good it will look like nothing else on the shelf and I think will read like nothing on the shelf. I’m really excited for what this team is making and I hope that everyone is ready for it.
