A Pirate's Life For Him

They live for adventure. They curse like sailors. They fight like lunatics. And they're not even in junior high yet. They're Mike, John, Bearclaw and Bat, the killer kids from artist Derek Hunter's hard-to-resist Slave Labor Graphics ongoing, Pirate Club.

 

While the clubbers aren't actual pirates—the book is set in modern days and on land more than on sea—pirates are definitely their role models. Think of it as Goonies re-written and directed by Kevin Smith. If you've missed their adventures so far, don't worry, it's easy to get caught up. They've been collected into two trade volumes, the second one—Brainwash Escape Victims—seeing release last Wednesday.

 

Now here's the bad news: That second trade is essentially the end of the Pirate Club's adventures, at least for the foreseeable future. But Hunter sees more Pirate Club in the future through his metaphorical sea glass, including an attempt to adapt the characters into stories that kids their own age could actually read without getting grounded. Part of that will be toning the language down, as well as adapting his art style—the book's strongest selling point thanks to Hunter's outrageous angles and chunky, superflat character design—into a softer, gentler look.

 

Before he attempts that jump with the Club members, however, he's going to finish up work on the all-ages graphic novel that's been eating up most of his drawing time lately, "Manny Golden is: Grounded in Space." I caught up with Hunter last week to ask when the Pirate Club might next set sail.

 

Bam!Kapow!: I understand you'll be taking a break from Pirate Club to work on more lucrative projects…does that mean Volume 2 is the end of the Club's adventures for now?

 

Derek Hunter: Yeah, "for now" being the operative phrase in that question.  I still have a lot of stories to tell with these characters, I love them! There is no shortage of stories to tell about kids with such thirst for adventure, active imaginations, and a town full of rival gangs. I mean, there's a Ninja Club, a Science Club, a Bible club, a Jock Club…the possibilities for stories are endless!  But I do need a break to try new things.

 

BK!: Your website mentions that you'll be trying to adapt the characters  and story to "a more appropriate children's format." What exactly does that mean? It doesn't seem like it would be easy to turn it into an all-ages book.

 

Hunter: Well, like I said, the possibilities for stories are endless, and I think part of expanding a set of characters is setting limitations so that you are forced to be more creative.  Take the Clerks cartoon for example. Jay and Silent Bob obviously couldn't be drug dealers on national TV, but the spin to make them illegal fireworks peddlers was a fitting solution.  I just want to try and put these characters in a more whimsical environment and see what happens.

 

BK!: Does that mean a change in art style? Some of the Pirate Club character designs on the "work" half of your website seemed a lot rounder and softer than the ones we're used to seeing in the Slave Labor books.

 

Hunter: Yeah, I've also been playing with different art styles for a more innocent look to match the stories.  I doubt the new art ‘kiddie’ style will be used in the future arcs of the existing series.

 

BK!: How far ahead have you mapped out the adventures of the Pirate Club? Can you see these characters going on indefinitely, or do you have an end to their story in mind?

 

Hunter: I have about 300 pages worth of material already written for their next adventure: "Suburban Warfare."  The next arc also has a definite end, just like "Brainwash Escape Victims" did, but there's always room for more adventures.

 

BK!: I remember being a little surprised when I found out that the characters were grade-schoolers after seeing the art and reading a few issues. How old are we talking here?

 

Hunter: Fifth graders.  The age where kids start realizing how much they can get away with and not get in any real trouble.  It's a fun age of self-awareness and personality growth.

 

BK!: Can you tell us a little bit about your influences in terms of the writing side of the book? Where did the idea for the story first come from? The rival clubs reminded me a lot of some Japanese and Korean comics, cartoons and movies.

 

Hunter: The story came as a result of a very immature summer my friends and I spent in 2001.  We camped out almost every night, had big draw parties, played video games, went swimming in the canals and reservoirs, watched Fight Club about a million times and generally goofed around.  We called ourselves "the Pirate Club," in jest.  To commemorate the summer, I was gonna make shirts, but once I drew the logo, I knew I needed to make a comic about kids having similar adventures.

 

As for the influences on my writing, I can't really say.  I suppose I've always enjoyed Mark Twain, but I definitely read more comics than I do novels, so I'd say my biggest comic writing influences are Mike Allred, Rob Schrab, Erik Larsen and probably Mike Mignola.  All writer/artists…weird.

 

It's funny you mention the whole club similarities to Japan and Korea, and I suppose the whole club structure in the comics could definitely, albeit subconsciously, be a result of having lived in Japan just out of high school.  All of the kids I met were forced to be in after school clubs, however lame they may be.  My favorites were the Archery club and Kendo club.  I always thought it was weird that they were forced to be in clubs…I guess it snuck its way into Pirate Club.

 

BK!: What about your influences in terms of art? There's a certain flatness to your work that I guess people usually associate with Japanese art, and you definitely employ a lot of sharp angles in your comics.

 

Hunter: As far as art influences, I'd say my biggest influences are the same as the writers listed above.  Although, I did gain a new appreciation for Japanese art—not manga—while in Japan.  They put little cartoons on all their marketing, and it was fun to see a different side of art in a culture.  My favorite comic artist currently is Ryan Ottley on Invincible, though.

 

BK!: How does drawing Pirate Club compare to drawing your other works or work-for-hire stuff you've done? Do you find yourself drawing more loosely, or taking more risks on your own book?

 

Hunter: I think just because I am able to do whatever I want on Pirate Club makes it more rewarding.  When I do work for hire, sometimes the art director will want a different angle, or something inconsequential, like the shade of purple a little more red.  With Pirate Club, although I work very closely to my scripts, I am able to decide where I want the characters, how crazy I want their actions to be, and of course since I am doing the writing, I can make them pull live sharks out of their pockets just for fun.

 

BK!: I've noticed in the back of an issue you had an ad to join the Pirate Club, where fans would get patches and buttons and such. So does that mean there's a real Pirate Club now?

 

Hunter: Yeah, we're about 250 members strong, now.  I sell the packets at conventions and through mail order, and a lot of people have ordered.  More than I thought, actually.  Unfortunately, I only have two or three packets left, and then I'm done!  They are really time consuming to put together.

 

BK!: There are some pretty zany rival clubs that do battle with the Pirate Club—do you have a favorite one, or one you’re most proud of?

 

Hunter: I am really proud of the under-used Science Club, and I have big things for them in the next arc.  They are all really fun though. The next arc will focus primarily on rival clubs, and the Pirate Club's interaction with them being a direct factor in their being able to finish their adventure.

 

BK!: Bearclaw seems to be the breakaway star of the book, in terms of having the most colorful quirk and grabby visual image. Have you given any thoughts to a Bearclaw solo adventure or spin-off at any point?

 

Hunter: That may just be addressed in the next series…I think he'll definitely be followed in the narrative a little bit more on this next adventure.

 

BK!: What's the attraction to pirates, particularly in this day and age, when we seem so far divorced from sea travel?

 

Hunter: Well, I think a big part of the fascination is that we don't really know much about the ocean anymore.  It is the last uncharted territory on Earth, and as such, a great mystery. As for a fascination with pirates…I didn't even know about it till after my book got picked up.  I soon found out…

 

BK!: This may be a little off topic, but I was curious about your thoughts on the current climate of pirate love out there. With the surprise success of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie and then the attention and marketing that accompanied the sequel, it seems like pirate appreciation has really gone pop these last few years—do you think that eventually so many people will dig pirates that they won't be cool anymore, and the universal pirate appreciation will somehow ruin pirates?

 

Hunter:  I hope not!  Naw, I think it's cool that people dig on pirates and an overall thirst for adventure. It gets people off their butts and out having fun.  When do you see pirates just sitting on their asses? But I think even if the craze dies down, Pirate Club is pretty safe, seeing as the primary focus of their adventures isn't their being pirates, but rather kids screwing around and tearing shit up. Fascination with kids being assholes will never die down.  It's always funny.

 

 

For more on Pirate Club and Derek Hunter's art, click to pirateclub.com