By Cameron Kerkau, Staff Reporter.
Though hidden in the underground, Michigan is host to a vibrant comic book scene. In recent years, that scene has been cultivated by an organization known as the Michigan Comics Collective.
“[Our] goal is to basically find and publish, or help to get published, anyone from the state who is trying to, kind of, break into the industry,” says founding member Travis McIntre.
The Collective’s roots rest in Saginaw at a store called Coy’s Comics. At it’s start, the collective was six comic book creators that decided to collaborate on an anthology of shorts, but that number grew to 35 by its third meeting in 2014.
“It kind of was an accident. A small group of us wanted to do a new book… and there was so much interest that it kind of morphed into something completely different,” says McIntre.
One member of the collective, who has done considerably well in his comic book writing career, is Greg Wright, adjunct instructor of english.
Wright’s first book, “Wild Bullets,” enjoyed a successful release last year, and is currently in its second printing. It tells the story of the Bullet family: four siblings that each grew up to become adventurers of different genres.
“Each of them takes a turn telling the story and when they do, a different artist takes over in a different style,” says Wright.
“Wild Bullets” was produced entirely by members of the Michigan Comics Collective.
For his second book, Wright partnered with award winning illustrator Ken Lemug to create “Monstrous,” published by Source Point Press.
“The basic setup is that Doctor Frankenstein made his famous monster, that monster made more monsters, so then he made robots to try to control them and counteract them,” says Wright.
Each of the four issues of “Monstrous” pays homage to classic John Wayne westerns.
Source Point Press also recently announced that Wright will adapt the FEARnet television series “Holiston” into the comic book “Holiston: Friendship is Tragic,” with art by Stephen Sharar.
“Holiston” is a sitcom created by cult horror director Adam Green, who also plays the main character. The show follows the character, Adam, as he attempts to become a successful horror filmmaker.
“Season 3 of Holiston comes out this year so the fans are really excited, and this comic will kind of tide them over until it comes out,” says Wright.
“[It’s] sure to be a fan favorite for anyone who’s familiar with Adam Green and… people who love horror comedy,” says Wright.
