Show Notes
Today Casey is joined by Kyler Merrell, creator of the comic Pandemic in Panels which is raising money for Save the Children! You should go check it out and pick it up, it's a good read and for a good cause!
https://www.foreignpresscomics.com/pandemicsinpanels.html
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Transcription the alcohol Steve. It's ok, he's a Robot so no one cares about him.
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John: + 2
[00:01:00] [00:00:00]
Kenric: you're not welcome back to spur the country. One can agree. And that's mr.
Horsley, and that is mr. Allen and today on the show. Well, it's color Morel. Isn't it? Part of foreign press comics. And he's got an anthology called pandemics and panels. Casey, what's going on with
Casey: So Kyler is a comic jam album. Uh, he has done stuff with, uh, A group, I help run called the comic jam and he's branched out on his own. He started a website called foreign press comics, and he got bored during the shutdown and decided to make an anthology. And he's gotten a lot of really good artists and writers to, uh, to help out.
And, um, basically this anthology is, uh, Pay what you want. And it's basically to just [00:02:00] kinda help people, you know, feel a little bit better about the situation and all the proceeds are going to be donated to save the children, which help, uh, countless children in adverse circumstances as a struggle to deal with, you know, the situation at hand, uh, it helps feed a lot of kids.
So that's good. We like to feed kids.
John:: Yeah, that's super cool. But I've had to say, did you say alum and mean alum?
Kenric: yeah, I was going to say the same day. to hear anything else after that. All I heard was, Oh, album and I'm like, Oh,
John:: I heard it all. It's all super cool.
Casey: I mean,
Kenric: my head is alum or is it
Casey: I've only ever read it, so
John:: That's true. That's fine. But I think it's, it's it's alum cause it's it's alumni,
Casey: I guess that would, yeah, that makes sense.
Kenric: it's so funny too, because Johnny and I had a whole conversation about Hamas and homage. Right. And, and I teased him. I'm like you said, Oh, homage. And it's Omar. She's like, Oh God dang. You're [00:03:00] right. He goes, I've said homage my whole life. I was like, yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a watch.
And then we come to find out that both ways
Casey: Yeah. Yeah. It's like Jeff or GIF.
John:: no, there's only one. No,
Casey: Yeah.
John:: There's no. Jeff, Jeff, Jeff has fucking peanut butter. Yeah.
Kenric: peanut butter, not, not a short graphic.
Casey: I don't care what the creator of that particular, you know, thing is. Yeah. He's not a linguist.
John:: He says, he says
Casey: Yeah. He says Jif. Yeah.
John:: but it's not graphical interface. It's it's graphical, not graphical.
Casey: Not Jeff Nicholl giraffe, pickle interface.
Kenric: there. Okay. We're getting off on a big tangent,
John:: Anyways, this, this, this, this book sounds great. I love, I love books at the pause.
Kenric: yeah, I think it's great for you. The children's a great cause. And. Man. I'm I'm uh,
Casey: Yeah. And our,
Kenric: I'm excited to
Casey: our buddy Claudio Gerardo also also has a comic in this and Claudia we've had on, I think twice [00:04:00] really good guy, but yeah. Yeah. Let's get to it.
Casey: Alright, everybody. Welcome again. To another episode of spoiler country today, I am talking to my buddy Kyler Merrill. Uh, Tyler has an upcoming anthology and he'd like to give you guys a heads up about it. Kyler. How you doing, buddy? I'm
Kyler: pretty good.
How are you doing?
Casey: I'm good. I'm good. So, so let's get down to brass tacks, man. What's the Scientology about.
Kyler: Uh, well, it's called pandemics and panels and it's just, um, I had the idea to do it, uh, you know, March 20 twinkling, after all this stuff was just starting to happen, you know, with the C word, I just, I, for one I wanted to myself, I was like, I was going to make a goal to [00:05:00] create.
You know, more comics. And then I was like, well, why not? Because I've been trying to build up this brand foreign press comics, I'm trying to start. And I was like, why not open an anthology and bringing more people and try to create something good. So it's all just, it's I think seven stories that are all deal with some sort of disease or quarantine or something like that, but they all have a positive spin.
I try not to edit anything, but, um, You know, my only requirement for the stories was that a had to have some kind of positive tone and that was how's it, as long as it wasn't just adding on to the negative that we see every day
Casey: that that's cool. And, uh, it's, it's important right now, especially to try to see the positive things, but because it is, it is getting bleak.
Um, Especially here in the States because it seems like people don't care. So, um, I, I appreciate your, your [00:06:00] positivity. Can you tell me a little bit about who you have on the anthology with you? Yeah, let me pull it up right
Kyler: now. Actually, it's a list of like, I think 17 people that's including, I think 18 when you get down to including, uh, Pardon?
Um, all the artists, all the writers, um, letterers, uh, cover artists, everything like that, logo, all that. It's like 18 people. But I mean, you want me to just list some of the names for you?
Casey: Well, well, I mean, it's all Lindy creators, correct?
Kyler: It's all people. It was
Casey: a group group on
Kyler: Facebook and all these different three or four different groups on Facebook. And I was just going to, you know, I posted in probably three or four different groups, probably two or three times a piece just being like, Hey, is there anybody out here? Um, you know, artists, writers, whatever who is willing to, you know, who wants to make something.
And so. And like I said, it's 16 Indian creators [00:07:00] that are all good people when I saw
Casey: that. That's awesome. And I definitely appreciate your willingness to just go out and start creating stuff. And, um, it's really cool. How, uh, I assume you're a little bit younger than I, um, Back when I, you know, first started wanting to do comics, the internet wasn't really available.
And so, so it, it seems like now it's easier to meet like minded people and it's kind of helped to proliferate that, you know, meeting of the minds. So, um, how has your experience been as an, as an editor on this and just kind of. Um, for, for lack of a better term, you know, within everybody into shape and making sure [00:08:00] everyone gets their, their materials in on time.
Has that been frustrating?
Kyler: Not really like, I am a little younger, I guess I'm I'm 23. I had just graduated college just a couple weeks ago and it, um, it, I, I just, this is the first thing. This is the first thing I ever actually published. I have, like I said, I've been trying to kind of start my own little publisher, quote, unquote publisher, if you want to call it that.
And so I've been doing my own stuff and this, I was just like, I'm going to sit out and I'm going to do something, and this is this actually isn't going to print, but I still think it's something good. But like you said, it was, it was a bit difficult to, you know, to get people in line and to figure out exactly how I wanted to run things into.
Cause there's a balance between, you know, being on top of people and making them like constantly reminding them, Hey, we've got a due date, come this week, we've got a deadline coming up, you know, versus just letting them do it. Cause I didn't want to be, you know, all up their ass or anything. But it, it, it wasn't too bad.
Honestly. The only thing that was a little hard is, um, [00:09:00] at the end there, I mean, like in anything where you're not paying your creators, which, I mean, ideally I'd like to be paying them, but you know, it's not always possible, especially when you're just starting out. Like I am. But I'm glad these people were understanding to that, but, you know, we had a couple of people flake and like I said, that was understandable and honestly expected.
And there's only one story. I think that didn't make it in that the artist started on and then he just never ended up following up. And I mean, I'm not, I'm, like I said before, I'm not too upset about it just because I honestly, obviously I wish it could have happened, but. I understand that people can't always meet the deadlines and I've been guilty of that before myself.
But so, I mean, it wasn't too bad. I just had to give the writer the bad news the other day and just be like, Hey man, sorry, your writer never ended up. Your artists never ended up following through. I'm real sorry. But, um, and he actually, he's still involved. He did some more art and he did the cover actually.
So yeah, it wasn't too bad.
Casey: What's the [00:10:00] biggest thing you've learned in your first, like kind of your first go at making something like this. Have you, um, have you learned anything that you would have possibly done differently?
Kyler: I don't know if there's anything I would have done differently per se, but I will. I, like I said before, it's this has been huge learning experience. I think that's maybe more than the, um, the, uh, you know, just the fact that this helps me build a brand has probably the best thing about this is that I learned so much, like I've gotten more used to, I learned what a.
TIF. I don't know what you call it, a dot T I F whatever that file is, I learned to use that instead of JPEG comes out.
Casey: Yeah, yeah. Well, for, for doing yes. Yes, we do online for the, for the [00:11:00] comic jam. I have to do JPEG just because medium is a shit site that does not take TIF, but, um, As far as like quality.
Yeah. It's not, not the best, but, um, it's, you have to figure all of that shit out. And it's when I first started out doing stuff like that, myself is it's like, it's all Greek to me. So, um,
Kyler: I came in my knowledge of graphic designer and then, you know, coding anything like that whatsoever. And so I'm still learning the ins and outs of my own website.
And then all these people are asking me questions, like what resolution, how many DPI and all these I'm like, I have no idea what the heck I'm supposed to tell you people. And then, but that's what was good about this is it.
Casey: We did it through this.
Kyler: And then I kind of get the consensus, going to be
Casey: able to say, this is what we're going with.
But
Kyler: yeah, I [00:12:00] mean, I had, I had no idea on some of that stuff. I'll tell you.
Casey: Well, I mean, it's, you know, it's always a good learning experience and, um, it's, it's always good to put your neck out there and I respect the hell out of that. I respect people that, that do that because it's, uh, it's hard to put yourself out there.
It's hard to, um, To be creative. Uh, it in a, you know, what's extensively a, um, a team type craft, um, with, you know, little to no reward other than the satisfaction of getting the job done. And so, um, I'm I'm so happy that you're able to talk to me about it. And I can't wait to talk to you about, uh, your, your next [00:13:00] projects and the projects after that, because, uh, once you get that fever in you, I don't think it's, um, I think it's pretty hard to shake, so.
Kyler: I'm definitely getting some of that because I've already had ideas around. I'm just now I'm like, okay, I can do this anthology home. Can I do that? Like, and I've got my own project that I'm currently doing and I've ever, since this whole thing started, I've gone down and I've done 10 pay. I got, I think nine pages of penciled are so far and I'm at a 30 and I'm just, I'm I'm it's it lit a fire in my belly that I, I don't know.
I did guess I didn't expect. But yeah, it's there. I'm ready to, I got other anthologies. I might do. I got, I got so many things that I'm
Casey: really trying right now and looking at
Kyler: the more serious, you know, it's, there's a lot.
Casey: And all of this can be found at your web site, right? Yeah. It's all at dot com. I'm not sure the
Kyler: actual, yeah, because we're still finalizing [00:14:00] the actual story.
There's the anthology. There's a couple of things or tweaks we're making obviously, but it's going to be out, um, this Wednesday. I don't think this is coming up this Wednesday, but, um, May 20th and it's. But I'm trying to, I thought it'd be cool. Just do it on a Wednesday. Cause you know, that's new comic book and do fuel cools.
Hey, I had to come, come out on new, coming up with things. It's, it's only it's online and actually all the proceeds are going to go to save the children. They have a, um, a special, actually a special fund debt set up for, um, coronavirus relief that I, um, I'm going, I'm a teacher by trade and technically I'm not a teacher yet, but I'm going to be, and.
I don't know if that's, that's something that's near and dear to my heart. So I just, I figured that was something to do with it. So we were at least taking our creative energies and putting something good out of it,
Casey: you know? That's awesome. And what is the, uh, what's, what's the entry fee for, uh, for this, uh, anthology?
Uh, it's
Kyler: pays. You want, it's honestly, it's whatever you want to do it. We recommend, I recommended $3 because like I said, [00:15:00] that's the price of a normal comic book that you'd see. And I acknowledge that this is digital, so it's, it's not, you know, it's, it doesn't have the same draws of print comics. I hope with that being said, go into a good cause.
And it'd be in pays. You want it, that you, something you could honestly pay a dollar. I think you could even pay less than dollar. I didn't try it myself, but I'm. If you really wanted to just take our comic, that's fine. I mean, and like I put in the intro to it, as long as you can read it and it takes your mind off it for a couple seconds.
That's really all I want out of it anymore. It's just, it's just icing on the cake. That's awesome.
Casey: And you also have a, um, a really good strip on your site, uh, by a good friend of mine. Uh, Eric Harmon and, uh, Derek Crow there, they're both very talented, uh, Writer and artists and, um, uh, we've just come a good guys all around.
Yeah.
Kyler: Called NATO. It's it's um, once, once every two [00:16:00] weeks they put out a page. Or there's actually a spectral, you know, they put in a chapter in the anthology that goes, that ties into them. And so it's, they're, they're doing pretty good stuff and I'm really, um, I'm really glad that Derek decided to, you know, go with me because I'm like I was talking to him the other day that I don't really have a lot to offer people as far as being a quote unquote publisher.
And I'm trying to build an audience right now for myself and for other people. And so I'm really, I'm just really glad that they, you know, decided to go with me. Cause I mean, I met him through the comedy jam to doing, um, I did art for him, a couple of stories and those turned out really good. And we'd kind of been just talking to him on and off since then.
So I reached out and told him, Hey, you got a comic, let me know. Cause I'm, we'll post it here. And that's what we've been doing. I think we're about six or seven chapters in
Casey: writing. Yeah, Derek's good people. And, and, uh, Eric Carmen is my brother from another mother. He is, uh, He's good people as well. So, um, man, it color is things ain't talking to you.
I'm [00:17:00] gonna let you go cause I'm sure you have stuff to do. Um, but uh, man, keep us, uh, keep us informed on what you got coming up next and I'd love to talk to you, uh, when it happens. Yeah. Alright good. Alright. Take it easy brother. Alright, bye.
Kenric: Oh, that staying
Casey: Well, my, my kids downstairs, shouting.
John:: Yes. Yes.
Casey: They're they're butt holes.
Kenric: wish the only way it could have been better, if she would have said
Casey: I think that, um, I think, uh, like this comic is, is to help feed the children. I think that I also need to help feed the children right now. Cause they're getting cranky.
John:: Well on that, then [00:18:00] we're back. We're back. I stole it from McKinnon. It's my bag. Not yours.
Kenric: it is you're back. You're good. You're you did it. You did the deep,
Casey: got
John:: Did the deed, so penny Musen panels. I do got back. I do got back. I got, I got, I got a nice way. We're building. It's all right. Yeah. But guys we're off topic you were talking about PanAms pants, not my bud. All right.
Kenric: yeah. Pandemics in panels.
John:: that sounds cool.
Kenric: that you took away from this interview? Uh, that was unique and exciting that you can't wait to check out when you have the book in your
Casey: well, okay. So right now the book itself is just a download, but the thing that excites me about it is Kyler is a young guy. He has got a long, long, long career of comics ahead of him. If, if he so chooses to do it, um, he just graduated college. Uh, he's got a good head on his shoulders and this is his first foray into doing.
Comics on a, on a wider scale and [00:19:00] also his first, um, his first anthology that he's ever put together. And, uh, I hope that he took away a lot of stuff. That'll help him in his next endeavors, uh, because it's exciting seeing people put their neck, stick their neck out there and try something for the first time.
Kenric: Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome.
John:: exciting, man. That's super exciting.
Kenric: Well, I think that's a show
John:: I think that is a show. Everybody go out there and go to what is it? It's what's the website again?
Casey: yeah. For breasts,
John:: you go. Go to foreign press comics.com and go check out the pendants and panels. Go support it. Cause anything, anytime we can get comic books and support a good cause it's it's.
It's good for you.
Kenric: There you go what do you think people can do right now to help support us?
Casey: I think that they can go to the website. They can check out.
Kenric: well, what's the name
Casey: Oh, I think they should get a spoiler verse.com. Check out [00:20:00] all the amazing articles and uh, other links we have on there. We have a store that sells tee shirts and mugs and other cool shit. We have, um, all kinds of other cool programs going on, uh, programs like shooting in the Sith, um, and ah, man, so many others.
John:: Pop quiz time. How many, how many podcasts on our network? Casey, can you name.
Casey: I think to
Kenric: I love
Casey: like run off my head because I'm a dumb ass,
Kenric: what to are they
Casey: um, shooting the Sith and, uh, spoiler country. Those are the ones that I listen to most of the time
Kenric: bridging
Casey: bridging the geek dumps. Yes.
Kenric: and narrative
Casey: Narrative gunslingers. Now I like those guys. Haven't heard that one yet. I'm not a gamer.
Kenric: That's our video game
Casey: Yeah. Gamers are nerds. Fuck those guys.
I'm joking.
Kenric: nerds from the [00:21:00] Crip and yep.
John:: Nurses to camp joined us.
Kenric: called haphazard adventures with his wife,
Casey: Oh, Kaylee's a nice lady. I like her.
Kenric: yep. She's all right. And he's got white to cl, which is just him sitting in his car. Talking
John:: Why to CAO, radio
Kenric: and yeah. And there's a lot more, if
John:: soon, we got funny, funny book forensics, misery point radio.
Kenric: yeah,
Casey: listened to several of those shows and, uh, my
Kenric: probably the best sounding podcast
Casey: Mike, Mike peacock knows what he's doing and also, um, my goal, my goal. Is to, um, do a joint podcast with him. Uh, if I can get the people from the, the heavy metal band sleep, that is my goal is to, to do an interview with Mike peacock and the members of sleep
John:: It's good to have goals.
Kenric: know what else we have Casey. We have articles that come out on the [00:22:00] daily. We have press releases from all the major comic book companies like lion forge. And only press and Marvel and DC and image.
John:: Yeah.
Kenric: quite a bit of information that comes out every day and more. I just, I can't name them all because there's too many and I'll forget somebody and then I'll feel bad.
So those are the ones that you get right now. Uh, you also get articles from Jay Roach and Jay is a somewhat of a commission,
Casey: is, and I love him for it. He's amazing.
Kenric: Yeah. He, he reminds me a lot of American splendor, it's a lot of fun and you know, he's all about he's, he's an old punk rocker that just hasn't given up on just trying to be that counterculture rebel without a cause.
And it's great. And you should read his articles cause they're, they're interesting and fun and he has a, a unique [00:23:00] view on
Casey: I've, I've never talked to somebody who is more in tune with their authentic self. And, um,
John:: Yeah, that's a good way to put it.
Casey: just an all around good guy. Yeah.
Kenric: Yup. And then we have Sarah Kay. That's producing a lot of articles about the paranormal and
Casey: she's a smart lady. I like her.
Kenric: surprised. Yup. Yup. Probably the best writer on the staff.
John:: I'm I'm I'm trying to convince her. We're we're we're trying to convince her to turn her K files into a podcast series for, of taking her articles and making a produced series. I don't want like with like airy music and stuff too. And if that happens,
Kenric: shorten and sweet
John:: It can be awesome if it happens.
Kenric: top of them, which I think would be great. So I would implore everybody to go and check them out right now. And for the foreseeable future, everything is free. There's no paywall to get to anything. It's not like you go to some websites, some podcast cast places, and you get the last 10 for free.
And then everything else behind that is, is you have to pay for it. That's not us right now. Everything's free. [00:24:00] And we're going to endeavor to keep that way. And by going to the store and supporting some of the products you might hear on the website or on the podcast that helps with that. So. Johnny.
Anything else to add before we go?
John:: I think that kind of sums it all up there. Pretty pretty. Well. The only thing I would add is Casey, we need more down the articles.
Casey: I will, uh, I'll do my best to start fulfilling that I've been kind of in the hole with some other projects, but I'll, uh, I'll get in on it.
Kenric: Yeah, actually one last thing, Johnny. I want to ask people too. Go to their podcaster. And if you really like what you heard today, or you checked out some other episodes hit the subscribe button and then new get all our newest stuff, which is always fun. And then hopefully leave us a review because that helps and share it out with your friends.
John:: Yep. Do that and download all the episodes too.
Casey: Check out our Snapchat. John does nudes.
John:: I mean go for it. I mean, if you can find it,
[00:25:00] Casey: Alright guys.
Kenric: All right, guys, the notions of podcasts
John:: we are to do Lou
Kenric: and let's go. No, look I tells you to do
John:: who open the mind.
Kenric: and read more. There you go. W what are you fucking with Casey?
Casey: Alright, y'all take it easy. Alright.
Alright, buddy.
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