Q&A with Shawn Hainsworth

 

 

 

Shawn Hainsworth is the founder of the publishing company SHP Comics, which focuses on graphic novels and comics. He lives in Massachusetts.

 

Q: Why did you decide to found SHP Comics?

 

A: Storytelling has always been my passion. In 2021, my screenplay Woodstake was accepted into the Austin Film Festival.

 

While it was an honor to be selected, I quickly realized that selling the script would mean losing both creative control and ownership of the intellectual property. In that moment, I decided I wanted to take full ownership of my creative writing.

 

As someone who has always loved comics and graphic storytelling, I realized this story was a great fit for pages and panels. All I needed was the right artist to bring the story to life.

 

I couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator than Felipe Kroll. His evocative, painterly style perfectly captures the tone and atmosphere of the story. Working creatively with Felipe to bring Woodstake to life was a revelation. Before long, I had two additional titles in production, and SHP Comics was on its way to becoming an independent publisher.

 

Q: Your books are designed for various age groups--how do you decide what to publish?

 

A: I publish the stories that I love. My mission is to create bold, original stories that cross boundaries of both genre and audience. From horror-comedy hybrids to thought-provoking sci-fi and manga-western mashups, I enjoy embracing the unexpected.

 

I am currently working on reimagining several literary classics with fresh perspectives. I would love readers to pick up SHP titles because of their quality and unique vision, to follow us down any number of exciting and interesting rabbit holes.

 

Q: Two of your new publications are Zicky: Wrath of the Rat King and Woodstake--can you tell us more about these books?

 

A: Zicky: Wrath of the Rat King is an all-ages fantasy adventure graphic novel combining isekai manga with western comic storytelling. With its cheeky underdog hero and themes of family, loyalty, and imagination, Zicky puts a fresh spin on classic kai (portal fantasy) storytelling.

 

This graphic novel is a personal story for me. When my kids were little, I would pretend to be Zicky and tell them of the adventures I went on when they were asleep. They had a blast making fun of Zicky and his imaginary adventures. Years later, it was so much fun bringing this story to life with two outstanding artists.

 

Woodstake is a sharp twist on the Dracula myth set against the legendary Woodstock festival of 1969. When a vampire crashes into the summer of love, hippies face three days of peace, music, and blood in a darkly funny, genre-bending spectacle. Blending satire, horror, and ’60s nostalgia, Woodstake is a wildly original graphic novel, brought to life through Felipe Kroll’s bold and evocative artwork.

 

As someone who grew up in the 1970s, in the shadow of the Woodstock generation, I enjoyed bringing the late ‘60s to life while opposing the optimism of the peace and love generation with the nihilism of a vampire.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from your books?

 

A: In a word, fun. I want to give readers the thrill of adventure along with the satisfaction of a story that has depth. The themes and characters are what ground the madness. My goal is for readers to be entertained and to finish these stories thinking a little differently about the world around them.

 

Q: What are you planning next?

 

A: There are sequels in process for both Zicky and Woodstake. Woodstake reaches a final conclusion in Woodstake ’99 as the vampire returns amidst the chaos and destruction of the infamous Woodstock festival of 1999 in Rome, New York.

 

Zicky returns in another cheeky, portal adventure entitled Zicky: The Cursed Blade.

 

I will also be releasing The Killing Machine, an epic sci-fi about the nature of life and the moral consequences of war. This story combines the cerebral, thought-provoking aspects of Arthur C. Clark and Cixin Liu with the action of and space battles of Star Trek.

 

Finally, I am working on a modern take on Beowulf entitled B.O. Wolf, combining the epic poem with a modern parallel – evil takes many forms.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Starting a publishing company has been a leap of faith, but one that is rewarding in ways I never imagined. I truly hope these stories connect with readers, and that I can keep telling new stories for a long time.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb