Big Dog Ink came onto the scene in the early spring of 2010 with a sexy and edgy book titled Penny for Your Soul. The miniseries tells the story of Danica, the daughter of Damien and granddaughter of Lucifer himself. But this siren of the fiery depths has been using her powers for entrepreneurialism instead of damnation: she built the Eternity Hotel and Casino.
This may be the flagship title of Big Dog Ink, but there are plenty of other books on the publisher’s roster to hit the shelves presently and in the near future. Founder and head writer Tom Hutchison recently found the time in his busy schedule of conventions and signings to talk with us about all of the books he and his company are working on.
STEVEN SURMAN: You’re the founder, publisher, and head writer of the independent publishing company, Big Dog Ink. How did Big Dog Ink come to be?
TOM HUTCHISON: Big Dog Ink started out as a way for Stephen Smirl and me to band together to help promote each other’s work. We met on a website called Digital Webbing, found a common interest in Land of the Lost of all things (the old television show; not the new movie), and we just seemed to hit it off. Now, roughly three years later, we have a number of books on comic shelves across the country, which is pretty exciting.
SS: Your miniseries, Penny for Your Soul, along with artist J.B. Neto and colorist Oren Kramek, is definitely the flagship product of Big Dog Ink. How was this book created, from conception to publication?
HUTCHISON: That’s a question I’ve been asked many times and it’s somewhat complicated and probably confusing to be honest. Let’s put it this way: I’ve always been the kind of guy who asks questions… maybe even the guy who says “prove it” to folks who, for example, believe the Bible is 100 percent true and infallible.
I’ve always enjoyed the bigger stories in the Bible, like Adam and Eve, Moses, Noah, and of course Revelation or the End of Days. But to me, there always seemed to be little gaps in many of the stories, or maybe things that weren’t totally clear and were left open to interpretation. So that’s really the foundation of this book. Ask questions and fill in the gaps or interpret the events in your own way that hopefully make you think a little while, at the same time, giving you a little eye candy to look at. It’s Revelation, but with a twist. A “what if” if you’d like to call it that.
But I can tell you that the kernel of this story came from The Simpsons when Homer sold his soul for a doughnut, I think. He went to court to save his soul and it was determined that he had already written a note to Marge saying she owned his soul forever and the Devil lost out. So there is the modest beginning to this whole thing; it just kind of kept on growing and I can’t be happier with how it has turned out as a story and as a work of art that J.B. Neto and Oren Kramek have knocked out of the park.
SS: Penny is a very sexy book, but I don’t mean it’s “hot.” I mean it’s edgy with a strong, sexually charged premise. Where did this aspect of the book come from?
HUTCHISON: Well, anytime you play in the Vegas sandbox, I think you almost have to expect a sexually charged environment and characters. Its Sin City after all and aptly named. There’s an air of “anything goes” there, even though that may not be the case.
It’s the mystique of the place that gets into your lungs when you walk the Vegas Strip and look at the neon lights and the women in tight dresses—and the money and booze flowing steadily everywhere. There’s really no place like it and I wanted to make sure Penny really made you feel like you were there. Hopefully we pulled it off.
SS: Overall, what has the reception been like for Penny, both critically and commercially?
HUTCHISON: Critically, we have had really nothing but praise from people. A couple reviews gave us thumbs up, while at the same time they expressed that this isn’t their type of book (though I’m betting they still pick it up). That’s fine because this book is certainly not for everyone, but we’d appreciate it if you gave us a chance. And that’s the mind set we take on the road to conventions and signings.
The commercial success that we have had is because it seems that everyone who sees the book—and gives it a chance—comes back to us with a smile and they loved it. So, it’s our job to make sure everyone sees it, but so far readers, retailers, and critics have given us big thumbs up. Issue one of Penny sold out of its initial print run within the first month of its release through Diamond. That’s pretty damn cool and thank you all for giving your support to a startup company you had never heard of.
SS: I’ve said this many times in my own reviews: I think it’s possible for some readers to take away a sexist vibe from Penny at first glance, but actually reading the material demonstrates just the opposite. Have you ever been faced with this kind of charge?
HUTCHISON: I have had some women come by the booths at the conventions we go to and give me looks like this is just another tits-and-ass book. But when I see that I try to jump in and talk with them about the book, and nine times out of 10, I get them to see past the pushup bras and realize that there is actually a great story underneath all that stuff and they generally turn into fans. Why can’t you have a great story with great eye candy? I think it’s absolutely possible. So yes, I have had to face it, but so far I’ve been able to convert a good portion of them.
BF: Something else I’ve mentioned is how much I love your book for its bold stance concerning religion. I won’t say its anti-religion, but you’re definitely not friendly towards Christianity in Penny. In fact, I am clearly reminded of Preacher. Am I correct in these conclusions?
HUTCHISON: Certainly not anti-religion, but at the same time, I like to challenge the status quo and get people talking. I have had a large portion of people who contact me about this book tell me they are religious but the book really doesn’t offend them simply because it’s fiction. They want to know who’s going to pop up next! I’m not writing a new gospel here or trying to tell you the Bible is full of crap. I’m just asking simple questions based on what I’ve read and how I interpreted it.
I’ve made a very conscious effort to research events that I talk about in Penny for Your Soul. I’m not just spewing out random ideas to be contradictory. But this is fiction and as long as most folks realize that, they get what it is I’m trying to do and they enjoy it for the entertainment value. I had a fan not too long ago ask me if I was going to have some characters from the Bible appear in the book. He was excited at that prospect. He gets it. (You know who you are, Jeremy!)
So no, it’s not anti-religion at all. People need something to grab a hold of when they have questions about life and such, but you do also have to realize that religion has been the grounds for war for centuries. Everyone wants to have their own beliefs, but few are able to allow others to have separate beliefs. War over religious belief is ridiculous, but it’s with us every day and I think that’s partially why many younger folks aren’t as into it in modern times. Too much baggage comes with it. So with Penny, we take that baggage and play it up for all it’s worth. Not to ridicule anyone or anything, but just to have a little fun.
SS: Tell us a little bit about your other two books, Ned the Chainsaw Guy and Critter.
HUTCHISON: Critter is my superhero comic. She has been with me for a very long time and it’s great to finally have her story being told. It’s very much an old-school comic where we are in on the absolute ground floor of the character and we learn what she can do as she learns what she can do. It’s fun and bright and hopefully a good read, too. If you liked early Spider-Man or Invincible, you should like Critter. Her miniseries will be launching next spring.
Ned is, in the creators own words, experimental. Take one look at it and you’ll see these guys aren’t up for the standard rectangle to square to rectangle panels. The pages are filled with amazing splashes and panel designs—all of which follows Ned and his fellow bounty hunter, Toadie, as they hunt for demons in the city of Dis. After snatching their prey in issue one, they proceed to take a break at the local strip club and manage to lose the head of the demon they had captured, which sends them on a quest that they never signed up for. Its crazy fun, gorgeously oversaturated colors, and hot, blue babes! What more can you ask for?
SS: Do you have any intentions to bring onboard any new writers and/or artists to keep up Big Dog Ink’s creative streak?
HUTCHISON: We have a number of writers and artists taking part in Stephen Smirl’s Island Tales series. These books are self-contained stories based on Hawaiian and Polynesian folklore and fairytales. The first issue will have just hit stands at the end of November along with Penny #4 and Ned #3.
Beyond that, he and I are both always writing new things. I, myself, have three or four books in the works, all in various stages of completion, but I’ll be writing them myself. I will, however, need new artists, and we are always on the lookout for talented folks for both interiors as well as covers.
We also are looking for series submissions to publish through BDI, just like what we did with Ned the Chainsaw Guy. That was the first creator-owned book we published. Pinpoint, Shotgun Shogun, and The Lone Survivor are our next wave of creator-owned books that are on the way in the spring and summer of 2011, so we have a lot of new stuff ready for our fans next year, including my new books and Stephen’s.
SS: Largely, I’ve greatly enjoyed the books you’ve put out thus far for their creativity and daring. That said, do you have any regrets with your publishing history to date? Is there something you did or didn’t do that you wish you had or hadn’t?
HUTCHISON: Everything we have done has been pretty calculated. We took our time on doing this stuff for a reason. For years I was told by many folks to “just get it out there.” I hate that thought process, to be honest. If you’re going to do comics, take your time and do them right. Do it to the best of your ability and don’t just throw out a mediocre comic into the marketplace. You will be better off for having waited and done it right that just getting it out there. So I think overall we have no real regrets. Doing the shows, choosing to do the book bi-monthly, waiting for the right artists—it all was for a reason and so far it seems as though we’ve guessed right. Knock on wood!
SS: What does the future hold for Big Dog Ink?
HUTCHISON: An Eisner Award for best new miniseries: Penny for Your Soul would be nice. Anyone want to nominate us?
We will actually be expanding the Penny universe through some new one-shots starting in January with The Temptation of Mary Magdalene, and we look forward to doing more books like that. And, of course, we will be collecting our books into trades, so people who couldn’t find our stuff will have a chance to get in and see what the fuss is all about.
But honestly, we just want to keep putting out quality books. Penny has been so much fun, Critter will be a blast, Island Tales is so unique, and the new creator-owned books are awesome. Big Dog Ink is going to become a company you know you’ll get a quality book from every time. That’s our goal.
For more information on Big Dog Ink and their catalogue of books, please visit their website.
This interview originally appeared on Broken Frontier.
