Patrick McEvoy is the writer of “Skull Planet,” a short comic appearing in the Oneshi Press Origins Anthology, Kickstarting now! “Skull Planet” keeps readers giggling as space explorers in the far future come across a gang of vampires who thirst for more than just blood… With beautiful old-school comic art from Olivia Pelaez, “Skull Planet” is one of 14 short comics from over two dozen creators inside the Origins Anthology! We spoke with Patrick about his work as a comics writer and a playwright, his inspirations, and—of course—his origins.
Tell us about yourself, Patrick. What brought you to writing comics?
I love writing and I love comics so it seemed like a natural fit, was thrilled to find some terrific artists.
Your short comic, “Skull Planet,” will appear in the Origins Anthology. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind it?
Really into sci-fi stories generally speaking and wanted to come up with a quirky tale, especially regarding some offbeat things/trends our world has come up with over the past few decades…
You have published in quite a few comics anthologies. What about the anthology genre do you like?
I try to submit to many places, get my work out there. What’s great about anthologies/short story collections is the variety, just how you can read different approaches to the same theme or have stories veer different ways in a collection.
You’ve also an accomplished playwright! How do you find writing scripts for the stage is similar to or different from writing scripts comics?
I think the main focus for both is the story. No matter the medium, try to tell a captivating story you want to tell. Think the main difference for me is that theater scripts generally focus more on dialogue while comics can definitely be more visual.
What do you see as the strengths of live theater versus those of comics?
It’s great seeing your work come to life in every way. Having your story brought to life is cool in any medium. Think theater can be more of an immediate experience, sitting within the audience and seeing the story in front of you. Instead of having artists illustrating, you have actors acting, though there’s no erasing during a live performance (and generally speaking thankful it wasn’t needed).
What’s important to you in a work of fiction?
Totally depends. I’m definitely drawn to fantastical elements (sci-fi, superheroes, horror) but it really comes down to if I find the premise or characters interesting, which is a really broad answer…Recently it’s ranged from Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami, Devs, and Daredevil Season 3 (television shows) to Someone, Somewhere (film), and before the lockdown, something like “Looking at You” at HERE theater in NYC, Toni Stone, Constellations.
Who are your writing heroes? Who inspires you?
Love so many creators in all mediums, can find inspiration in many places. Some writers include the aforementioned Murakami, Stephen King, Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker, Mary Shelley, Alex Garland, Jeanette Winterson to name only a few…
What fictional character do you identify most with, and why?
Goodness, not sure. Would have to think a while about this one. Mulder maybe without the literal monsters (thankfully)? I don’t know, tossing it out there…
Are you working on any new projects?
Constantly writing, working on quite a few. Especially been trying to get things done with this pause, which hopefully ends sooner rather than later. Writing in different mediums, including short comic scripts, graphic novel length, short stories, plays, and novels. Many fall into the sci-fi/fantasy-ish genres, but not all. Not sure how some publications/venues will proceed, but hopefully something will work out.
Where can readers find you online?
Some work, images, gravitate towards more mature audiences, but a decent bit can be found on Deviantart.
Visit the Kickstarter to support the Origins Anthology and “Skull Planet”!
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