INTERVIEW: ‘Host Mortem’ raises more than $16K on Kickstarter
Image courtesy of Damien Torres / Provided by Superfan Promotions with permission.
Apparently many people want to head back to the 1940s, at least in graphic novel form. Host Mortem, the new project being pitched by writers Kevin Shinick and Greg Lee, recently raised funds on Kickstarter to the tune of approximately $16,000. That’s a whopping 300 percent more than their modest goal of $5,000.
What’s so fascinating about this new work is that it’s completely fictitious but eerily similar to Shinick and Lee’s own career. Both of them were TV hosts, one for Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? and the other for Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, two beloved children’s game shows from the 1990s, and the two main characters in Host Mortem are also game show hosts from the 1990s.
That’s about where the similarity ends. In Host Mortem, the characters don’t stay in the 1990s for long. Instead, they are whisked away to the 1940s to solve a murder mystery that has a connection to The Big Sleep, the film starring Humphrey Bogart and based on a Raymond Chandler novel.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Shinick about his adventures with Host Mortem, which features art by Damien Torres and Andrea Schiavone. Shinick’s credits are numerous. He was the host and detective of Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?, and he also wrote for Robot Chicken. He’s the author of Star Wars: Force Collector and creator of W.E.B. of Spider-Man. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can readers expect from Host Mortem?
Host Mortem is a graphic novel about two fake detective game show hosts from the 1990s who have to solve a series of real murders in the 1940s. Obviously it’s based on Greg Lee and I since we both hosted versions of Carmen Sandiego back in the day, but the rest of the story will be very unexpected. I’ve worked hard to make this a solid murder mystery while also adding time travel, trivia, comedy, film noir and hosting hijinks to this beautifully drawn, 200-page graphic novel, with the help of artists Damien Torres (Marvel’s Crisis Protocol), Andrea Schiavone (alll), Pippa Bowland (Judge Dredd) and Taylor Esposito.
Was it cool / weird to write yourself into the story?
It was all the above. I’ve really enjoyed leaning into the whole meta approach of this book. What’s refreshing is the fact that as children’s television hosts, Greg and I both had certain personas we needed to uphold for the audience, but in crafting the graphic novel, I’ve been able to expose more of our actual personalities. Our fans were kids when we were hosting, but now those same fans are adults. And I’m guessing they’re going to enjoy this more mature take.
I take it you’re still good friends with Greg Lee?
You say “still,” but the truth is Greg and I really hadn’t met prior to this project. We had met once about five years ago, so when I reached out about doing this book, it most likely took him by surprise, which by extension kind of fueled the storytelling, because the graphic novel versions of ourselves are sort of like The In-Laws or The Odd Couple — two guys thrown together under abnormal circumstances as we hope for the best in order to solve a murder. And — spoiler alert — we’re not as good at our jobs as we think. So if you’re asking if we’re still good friends after having gone back to 1947 and attempting to solve a murder, you’ll have to read and see.
Are you a big fan of The Big Sleep? Why that film?
I love all film noir, but yes, The Big Sleep is one of my favorites. And the premise of Host Mortem is, “Are hosts really smart? Or do they just have the answers?” So one of the reasons I chose to connect a murder to The Big Sleep is that I discovered some information about an earlier version of that film that was completed a year before what we now consider the classic version. So in a sense, our detective skills are really just relying on the random trivia that we learned through hosting game shows and just knowing simple common facts of the 21st century. The fact that this murder takes place in 1947 definitely gives us a leg up in terms of information.
What are your memories of your Carmen Sandiego days?
I loved hosting that show. It was such a combination of things that I adore that I’ve tried to do the same thing with Host Mortem. Place all the things that interest me in between the covers of a graphic novel. But the experience of hosting Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? is one that I will always treasure. After leaving the show, I got to host a number of other TV shows, and I have to say, none of them quite captured the magic that the people, the fans and the characters created with Carmen Sandiego.
Why do you think that show became such a hit?
I think it filled a need. Greg’s show, Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, recognized a need to teach kids about geography. By the time I came around, the producers realized that kids knew enough geography, but were less informed about history, which is why I played myself as a time-traveling squadron leader.
If it were to air today, I’d love for it to focus on civics and how our society works. Education is so important, and it could still involve time travel because, as we all know, what we learn today affects the future. But if you’re determined to go back in time, then I highly recommend travelling to 1947 with Greg and I with Host Mortem. It only has a little time left on Kickstarter, and while it’s already been completely funded, right now your only chance of owning a copy of this grown up, game show, gumshoe graphic novel is by backing us on Kickstarter. And that’s a bit of trivia I knew without having to travel through time.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Host Mortem has been fully funded via Kickstarter. Click here for more information.
