THE CIRCUS OF REEFER MADNESS - DON'T GET HIGH, GET A COMIC!

Look, up into the sky! Is it a nerd? Is it a grain? No, it's Stoner Writer Man! Coming from the far-off distant planet called Day-Ton, Stoner Writer Man has the ability of running faster than over-dripped paint, smoking certain substances in a single puff, and, of course, answering the following questions composed by yours truly. Jeremy, it's now over to you.





1) What are your own origins, Jeremy?   I was born in Dayton, Ohio, and fought MMA professionally for a few years. After a while I did some city hopping and took on a lot of different jobs. I was working at a pawn shop in Atlanta when I started to write genre fiction: Smut and romance. It sold well enough though, and now I write full time. That's the basic origin story. Stoner Writer Man might well be my superhero name these days.

2) What inspired you to create, ‘The Circus of Reefer Madness’?   Marijuana laws. The drug war is a perfect illustrator of how corruption can halt the progress of a society. 'Possession of marijuana'... the words alone sound ridiculous. Yes, there is a dried up bud in my pocket, why can I be harassed for that? Seeing people locked up in states with mandatory minimums, knowing what the brand of possession can do to someone, it is just one of those things.

But you can always channel your anger into art, right kids?

I was playing with the idea of a scary clown, one who would get you high before terrorizing you, and noticed the obvious connection between the drug war and scary clowns from the circus who punished you for smoking weed. The issue is important to me, and creative energy pulled me right through the writing. It was both cathartic and fun. 

3) In your own words how would you describe this story?   It's a stoner horror comic. Our hero Tyler has to face and survive Sanity the Clown, and The Circus of Reefer Madness. Not an enviable task, especially after he inhales Insanity Gas. He won't be set free until it wears off... if he can survive that long: Suicide, Kozbo, Mindless, Donkey, and Pig will all be there to make sure he never again sees outside the circus walls.

Parts of the story are a homage to the classic propaganda film, Reefer Madness. Our spoof of the 1972 theatrical release poster, a few of the lines in the dialogue, and character names, these and a lot more references are sprinkled in there.

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   'I Fought The Law' by The Clash. Marijuana possession laws are one of those things most people don’t question. You fought the law, deal with it. But those charges ruin people’s lives, they lose things. That’s the way it is when you get caught with cannabis. The song fits.

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?   Jack Herer, for sure. The Emperor Wears No Clothes is an eye opener to the realities of hemp potential. He was a warrior who fought for legalization and decriminalization, and I'm sure he’d make the perfect spokesperson for my stoner comic, with Cheech and Chong coming in close behind him.

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour?   I’ve learned a bit about my writing style. I’m one with lots of unfinished projects, and romance novels take up a lot of my time. This is only a short story, but it let me take a look at my writing with new eyes because it is different than what I have written before. This project also showed me I can jump mediums: My first manuscript and the first time adding a visual component. If I can’t create it myself I can always write it and pay an artist.

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   This is my first comic, as a writer, writing to market. You can write what sells, or write when you get home from work. Sit down and do it. Actually working is one of those things that always seems effective for me yet I often forget.

8) If ‘TCORM’ had a motto, what would it be?   Jacket off in the swimming pool.

And on that note, I'd like to thank Jeremy for telling us about his comic book, The Circus Of Reefer Madness, before directing you towards his twitter and  facebook pages.