DARK BEACH COMICS - NO FUN IN THE SUN UNTIL YOU'RE DONE

The American journalist, Christopher Morley, once said that New York was the nation's thyroid gland. And do you know why he said that? He said that because he's a journalist based in America, and he kinda, well, knows about these sorts of things. Ish. Just like my mate Mike, who created a New York inspired comic book called, 'Dark Beach'.

1) What are your own origins, Mike?   I’m mainly a video editor by trade and a director down here in Miami, Florida. I also slappa da bass for my band, Heavy Drag. This is my first go at creating a comic book though, and am looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

2) What inspired you to create the ‘Dark Beach’ comic?   Definitely, my 4 years living in New York City. There are so many awesome comic book shops to get lost in. Every time I would walk into a store I just had this overwhelming feeling of, ”Yea, I want to try making something that could be in this store”. Yet the story itself was a combination of my obsession over 1940s photographer, Arthur “Weegee” Fellig, and the period of my life where I would wake up at 7pm each day. Heck, I didn’t see the sun for weeks!

3) In your own words how would you describe this story?   Dark Beach is the story about Gordo, a black market photographer, who dreams of a sun he’s never seen. While doing his usual rounds he stumbles upon an unusual crime which catches a bit more of his attention. This leads him down a dark path to uncover why earth is really drifting through space. 

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   I love this question! I’m actually putting together a mix of what our main character, Gordo, would listen to. There's a lot of soft rock (Eagles, Toto, America) but also some Zep, Kiss, Rush, and Beach Boys. I feel like he sticks to the songs made in the 50s, 70s and early 80s. For Dark Beach as a whole, however, I’d have to go with Reo Speedwagon’s Keep on Loving You. Dark Beach might be a sci-fi noir but when its complete it’ll be a love story. That's all we got in this crazy world. 

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Either Dennis Hopper or Harvey Keitel. Both were / are bad asses that could flip from being your best friend to being your quick enemy. Dark Beach isn’t meant to swim in one current. We want to make you laugh and also make you think of a meaningless existence. 

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavor?   I've learned that things will go wrong so its best to buckle up. Patience was a big thing I had to learn. I wanted this to be out so badly but I knew things had to be as perfect as I could get them to be. 

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   Every time I saw a completed page -- from sketch to color and finally with dialog bubbles -- it really got me through all the waiting. With every page we got closer and closer, and that just made it all worthwhile. We had an amazing team starting with writer: Tucker Tota; our ink-master-general: Sebastian Piriz; our amazing colorist: Ray Jones; plus Brian Butler: who drew the variant cover. These dudes can crush!

8) If ‘Dark Beach’ had a motto, what would it be?   No Fun In The Sun Until You’re Done.

And on that thumping note, I'd like to thank Mike for telling us about his new comic book, Dark Beach, before directing you towards his official website, instagram, and twitter pages.