There’s a weird thing that happens when you take on a creative endeavor, especially when it’s one you can work on from home. It becomes your entire life, 100%, beginning and end. I accept there’s people out there who can completely separate their creations from their lives, leaving their fictions behind in an imaginary office who’s cubicle walls are created by the clock. I am not one of those guys.
So something like The Demon Hotel and Kid Riot completely became my entire life in the blink of an eye. The different characters and plot threads went from falling-asleep-fantasies to active-dinner-conversation. It got a little Cady Heron, where I could hear myself becoming more boring, talking about it every second someone didn’t stop me.
So imagine my surprise when good friend and artist/writer ChadleyC told me one day he wanted to talk about Kid Riot. Now, here’s the thing any comic writer who knows a good artist will tell you – you see talent, you flip a shit until that talent works with you and you do not ever stop so hard if you believe in them. When he said “I have this idea..,” I just about lost my shit.
He started weaving me this story, about the COMPLETELY FOREIGN CHARACTERS, which made my head spin. I thought to myself, “Dude! We have so many toys already, play with one of these! I DON’T HAVE BRAIN ROOM LEFT FOR MORE THINGS.” And the more he told me, the more I realized that’s EXACTLY how PJ feels in the story. What’s more was it was exactly the kind of thing Kid Riot needed – something so big, even he couldn’t have dreamt it up.
He detailed ideas and threads that connected to and expanded on our ideas, and then hinted at vague general directions the story COULD MAYBE go SOMEDAY. He told me things about Slam McGhee, The Spinners, and Shade, and he didn’t tell me other things about them. I heard about spinning through time and I almost told Chad to shut up because the longer he spoke about it, the longer it would be until I could read it.
The process of creating The Adventures of Kid Riot and the Evolution alongside Kid Riot was such an extraordinary one for us here at The Demon Hotel. Each storytelling team collaborated, influenced, and propelled the other further and further (with resident colorist and letterer Kevin Risse doing A HELLUVA JOB serving double duty for the latter on both titles).
We can hardly believe what Chad has in store for PJ and are proud to bring you The Adventures of Kid Riot and the Evolution #1 this week from The Demon Hotel. Check out the preview below and stay turned for more adventures of the Old Brunswick Speedstar.
