There are three things on this Earth that I love like no other. As a redblooded American male, they are baseball, comic books, and horror movies. Hence my ownership of the Mars Attacks Baseball Special and the high esteem I hold for Battlefield Baseball. So when I heard about Mark Andrew Smith’s latest project, Sullivan’s Sluggers, a baseball horror comic, my heart gave a jump.

Written by Smith and illustrated by James Stokoe, the project was looking to raise $6,000 to print up a hardcover collection among other goodies given to the backers. Because the idea is so brilliant and so attuned to the interests of great people everywhere, the Kickstarter was fully funded after only four hours and is, at the time of this writing, sitting just shy of $36,000.

Joe West’s true form?

I spoke to Mark through email and he was kind of enough to answer a few of my questions:

OTFB: What was your inspiration for the book?

Mark Andrew Smith: I’ve always been a fan of baseball and baseball films. I’ve also been a huge fan of horror films. To me baseball and horror are two things that go perfectly together.

OTFB: It seems to be a departure from Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors and New Brighton Archaeological Society, so is this a story you’ve been sitting on for a while? Or something necessary to do after working on those books?

MAS: I first thought of Sullivan’s in 2004 and sat on it for a while before starting on it. I think that’s a good thing because I had longer to look at it with fresh eyes and perfect and add to it.

OTFB: Any reason to go through Kickstarter rather than more traditional publishing methods?

MAS: Kickstarter is a creator centered distribution system. The shops ordered but their numbers were low and didn’t match up with the money we put into making the book for production. So it made more sense to try it on our own and to sell directly to readers on Kickstarter. We took a chance and it paid off quickly with a lot of support.

OTFB: How did you get James Stokoe on board?

MAS: I asked and he said yes! I WISH it was a more involved and better story but that’s it.

OTFB: How did you arrive on the creature designs? Was this something you came up with or did you give Stokoe free reign?

MAS: James had free reign. I said monsters, and then let him do his thing. After he did the concepts I jumped back and was like Whoah, and then kept that in mind as I was writing the rest of it.

OTFB: Is there something about baseball that lends itself to horror better than say football or soccer? Or is baseball just a sport that you’ve always connected with and wanted to tell a story about?

MAS: Baseball is a beautiful game but has the potential to be very violent with the gear and the skills. So that’s why I chose it.

OTFB: Any favorite baseball players or teams growing up? Or any bizarre stories of attending games that stood out?

MAS: My family are all Giants fans. One time my brother almost stole Bobby Bonilla’s hat as he was jumping up to catch a ball, and he came so close.

OTFB: Even better, any embarrassing Little League stories?

MAS: Ah, jeez. When I was young, I would hit the ball and then let the bat fly off. People got hurt. So I feel bad about that. I was learning.

OTFB: I saw in the USA Today article that there would be some easter eggs in the book. Any thing in particular that people should keep their eyes open for?

MAS: There are easter eggs, but nothing huge to watch for. I think they’re more subtle.

OTFB: Any ideas for your next project?

MAS: My next project is a big monster battle book.

OTFB: Last, and most importantly, greatest baseball movie: Bull Durham, the Natural, or The Catcher starring Joe Estevez?

Mas: Major League? Hehe. No, it’s the Sandlot.

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If this looks like your kind of thing, be sure to head over to the Kickstarter to contribute. Though the project is fully funded, it’s the only way to secure yourself a hardcover copy of the book along with the other goodies.

(All images by Mark Andrew Smith/James Stokoe)