Post

With CLEAN UP CREW launched and funded on @kickstarter.com, how about we dive into some of the influences of the story? This is something I've had in my head for 20 years so a lot has helped shape it to what it is today. www.kickstarter.com/projects/jam...

First, the vampires. I wanted them to be scary & intimidating. The example I sent to Samir was 2012's Ex Sanguine from @hackintimseeley.bsky.social and Josh Emmons. I loved the way the teeth jutted out, like their mouths couldn't contain the sheer power and terror. It has stuck w/ me since its debut

The concept, vampires working as overnight janitors was a way to make sense of monsters living in the present day. I like the way @zackkaps.bsky.social explores this in his hard sci-fi work like Eclipse & Mindset, two books that don't just hit you w/ a cool idea, but show how it can actually happen

One of the themes I love to explore in my writing is someone finding their place in the world. Mech Cadet Yu from @gregpak.net & Takeshi Miyazawa and Wayward from @jimzub.com & Steven Cummings are great examples of these stories. They are two books that mean a lot to me.

The origins of Clean Up Crew trace back to my days as an assistant manager at an Eckerd drug store in college. I was finishing up school and could have stayed on there. I had no idea what I was going to do professionally. That's where Miles is at in the comic. Similar hair too.

The retail element is also at play with Kevin Smith's Clerks as an influence. That movie, as well as Smith's earlier work had a major impact on me as well as starting me down a creative path. That's one of the reasons why @radpencils.bsky.social's variant had to be an homage to Clerks.