I thought that was pretty cool -- Taylor Swift being my girl and all -- and was curious about how a project like that comes about. So I called McCormack and Cooke and we chatted about it. Nice guys.
So you guys are KC born and raised? Do you freelance full-time or do you have other jobs?
CW Cooke: Yeah, I grew up in Overland Park, live in KC. I have a day job and I also work at the Sprint Center. I've done about ten comic books -- five or six for Bluewater, which published the Taylor Swift book, and a few with Patrick, plus a few of my own comics.
Patrick McCormack: I grew up in Fairway, live in the River Market, and I'm a copywriter by trade. [CW] and I have known each other for about a decade, and we've worked together on some projects and graphic novels together over the years.
Has it always been a goal to write comic books?
Cooke: I've been reading comics since I was eight probably. I wanted to be an artist, but I just wasn't very good at it, so I got an English degree instead.
McCormack: Yeah, I used to write comics when I was 10, 11, 12 years old. And I've definitely always wanted to write in addition to doing advertising. But I didn't really start it up again until the recession hit and I needed to pick up some freelance work.
How hard is it to land a gig like this? How do you actually become a comic book writer?
Cooke: In early 2008, I decided that I wanted to be writing comics no matter what, whether it was freelance or full-time. So I sent out applications and letters of intent to every possible comic-book publisher and received a thousand "No's" and then finally Bluewater gave me a "Yes." I wrote one that got published, and it's been going well since. And when the
Fame series came out, they asked me about doing the Taylor Swift one, and I said, "Of course." But I was pretty busy with my day job so I pulled Patrick in to help me out.
Did you go into this as Taylor Swift fans? Are you guys currently Taylor Swift fans?
Cooke: Um, not really. My wife has one or two of her CDs. She loves her. I knew a little about her going in but, no, definitely wasn't a fan.
McCormack: Same deal. I knew she was a talented, up-and-coming country singer. I can't say I've ever purchased one of her albums, though. But I certainly admire her.
How so?
McCormack: Well, she's basically a kid, and she's forged her own path to success, and she's been very charitable along the way.
What's the outline of the story?
Cooke: Basically, the plot is her life up until about a year ago. The Fame series is about biography, really. So it's her growing up, learning how to write songs, learning how to play guitar, getting the record deal. We deal a little with the Kanye West incident.
Does the illustration happen after you write it? Are you involved at all with that?
McCormack: Yeah, all the illustration takes place after. Lots of times in different countries like Italy or Germany or the Philippines.
Do you know a lot of other KC people that are actively working and making comic books? Is there a KC comic book scene?
Cooke: Yes. I feel like the KC comic community is very friendly, not closed off at all. And there's some really talented people here, like
Jason Aaron, who writes a Wolverine series for Marvel. Other people around here have done stuff for DC. But like a lot of things, you have to endure a lot of rejections before you hear a "Yes." And you have to actually write. You meet people who talk a lot about writing comics, but they never actually sit down and write them, so it's like, "What's the point?"
Where can we buy Fame: Taylor Swift?
McCormack: It's available on Amazon, eBay, and at a few local comic book shops. We're doing a signing at
Pop Culture Comix, which is on 87th Street west of Antioch. That's next Saturday, September 11, from 11-2 pm.
Cooke: And I think you'll be able to get it at
Elite Comics on 119th and Quivira, and maybe at
Clints.
You guys have anything else in the works?
Cooke: Patrick and I have worked on a Glee comic book, which should be out in November, and a second Lady Gaga will also be out in November. And there's a Fame on Danica Patrick that will be out in December. I've also worked on some adaptations: one of an S.E. Hinton novel, and one of Anne of Green Gables.
McCormack: We've also collaborated on my original comic book, which is called
Harvest Island, and which is illustrated by Erick Marquez. Erick did the art for the Taylor Swift book.
Cooke: We've also got another, non-Fame-related deal with Bluewater for a nine-book series targeted towards children that I'm hoping will be a big deal.
Wow. You're staying pretty busy.
Cooke: Yeah, it's going well. Oh! And we're working on another Taylor Swift comic book, not related to Fame or Bluewater, where she's actually a superhero. A lot of people, when they heard about the Taylor Swift comic book, just assumed she'd be a superhero in it, which she isn't. But that made us think, you know, "What if?"
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