Illustration of Jeremy, by Jeremy- from “Haunthology”

Interview by Mark N.

Jeremy Haun is, perhaps, one of Joplin’s best kept secrets. There are few other local creatives with as wide a global reach as Jeremy. His format is comics; he’s worked for Marvel, DC and Image, illustrating and writing for characters like Batwoman, Constantine, and the Avengers. His collection of personal projects are the really fun part though. In this interview, we talk through his new kickstarter project, his career path to this point, his collaborations with folks like our own Hurley’s Heroes shop owner Jason Hurley, his passion for storytelling, and why he unabashedly loves Joplin. And naps.

1: Why hello, Jeremy. How's your summer going?

Is it still summer? Let's get past that. I say we jump straight to fall. The leaves can just go ahead and change. All that good stuff. Yep. Straight to fall. It's just better that way. [editor’s note: that’s happened since publication. Leaves are looking awesome. Good job willing that into being, Jeremy.]

2: Jeremy...there are absolutely too many things we want to ask you about. That's why just one interview will not do! But let's start by jumping into your career as a comic creator. Where did all that start for you? We can imagine you nerding out over comics and drawing constantly as a kid... was that you? What was young Jeremy like?

Yeah-- I was definitely that kid.

My mom worked at a drugstore when I was little-- before grade school even. They had a spinner rack in there. I was obsessed with it. My love of comic books started there.

I always drew. I had a kid-sized table and chair in my room as a kid. I would sit there for hours drawing things. I remember redrawing panels from comics over and over again-- wanting them to look like the illustrations in the books. That devotion to drawing never changed.

I got older and when someone would ask what I wanted to do when I grew up, my answer was always the same- "Make comic books." I'm sure to some degree that was a bit concerning for my mom. It's a bit of an abstract career. But here I am.

3: We know you've worked on projects for most of the major comic book powerhouses, on some pretty recognizable characters. What was your first big breakthrough in the comic world? What experiences gave you the status of being "well known" in the comic world?

I worked for years making my own things. I did really well with it. The thing that really changed my career was Marvel Comics reaching out and asking me to be a part of this new event they were doing at the time called "CIVIL WAR". I got to draw this big issue that featured Captain America and Iron Man. I had no idea at the time what it would lead into-- that I'd get to draw something that would eventually be a part of the inspiration for a Captain America film.

I worked for Marvel for a while and then moved over to DC. There's this thing in comics fandom where folks ask you if you're more of a Marvel or DC person. I always loved both, but for me it was DC and Batman. Getting to go there and work on DC stories in the Batman office was a huge thing.

As for the "well known" thing...I have no idea. I just wanted to tell stories-- to write and draw things. There's magic in that.

I love the idea of living here in this wonderful town and making things that have a global audience.

4: We've only got a sec to touch on this, but I know I (Mark) found it fascinating when I realized the vast majority of your imagery is based on real references. I'm thinking of the boxes full of fake weaponry in your attic, for instance... also, you use models for all your characters, and real architecture for a lot of your background scenery. Would readers of your work possibly recognize any familiar Joplin faces or places?

I've always used references for my work. It helps add a depth to things. Lets me really bring a level of detail to the things I'm drawing.

Joplin-- the architecture (which is lovely), my friends, and family end up in the things I draw. There's a bit of Joplin in my Gotham. They're my little hometown "easter eggs".

I have so much love for this city. It's been a constant in my work.

4: We see the writing side of you come out more and more as time goes on, moving further away from drawing for other people's stories and into crafting more of your own. Was writing always a big part of this for you, or is that something that developed more over time alongside the visual art side?

I think that little kid sitting at the table was a storyteller. He did all the things.

Comic books is a...hard industry to get into. I've heard it said that it's statistically harder to get into making comics than it is to get into the NBA. That may not be true at all, but let's just go with it anyway.

I started out drawing because it was something tangible. I could show an editor my art and they could see that I had some skill there.

Writing is a bit more intangible. You sort of have to prove that you can do it in order to get the work. There's a whole chicken and egg thing there.

I was nervous to professionally write things. Then I realized exactly how silly that was. I let go. I told my stories my way. Luckily they connected with people.

5: We know you've partnered quite a bit with local Hurley's Heroes comic shop owner Jason Hurley on projects like The Beauty- how did that come about? What does the writing process look like for you two?

[editor’s note- Jason Hurley has since sold the store. But he’s still in the area and actively collaborating with Jeremy!]

I've known Hurley forever. We've both always loved comics. I made them and initially Jason focused more on the retail side of things.

We traveled a lot to regional comic conventions together. They'd be setting up selling comics. I'd be there as a creator. It was long hours on the road chatting about everything under the sun.

Hurley always had these fantastic ideas for stories. On those drives we'd talk about the stories we wanted to tell. There was this fantastic thing where, without ego, we'd make little suggestions about things. I'd suggest something for one of his stories or he'd have an idea for one of mine. It was wonderful-- this easy collaboration.

On the way back from a show in St. Louis, I told him about this idea I'd had for The Beauty. We talked through it-- both adding elements as we went. By the time we got home to Joplin, we'd planned the first arc of the project together. I was like "Well, I guess we've got to do this thing now." He agreed. Years and a lot of issues later, we're finishing up the story. It's been fantastic.

As for the writing process-- we keep things really simple. We sit in the same room, each of us on our laptops, writing into Google docs. We can see what the other is writing, so it's this easy system of talking through things and just kind of translating it.

I love the idea that we're both sitting there for hours, often in silence, looking at our screens, chuckling at something ridiculous that the other is typing.

6: Would it be really awkward if he didn't carry one of your comics? Would you egg his store windows or something? (We're making up our own short story here, it's really great so far.

Any shop that doesn't carry the work of a local creator is obviously just the worst.

I feel like the Hurley's probably actually just carry my stuff so that they don't have to deal with people coming in and having to explain why they don't have it.

Also-- that's a terrible waste of eggs.

7: Away from egging and back to collaboration- we've seen you take on a ton of collabs over the years. Do you feel that the level of collaboration is higher in the comic world than in other art mediums? What takeaways do you have from your many shared creative projects that you'd pass on to those in any creative field?

Collaboration is fantastic...when it's right.

Comic books is an interesting medium. You can either make things with a small group of people-- each doing their job (writing, drawing, lettering, etc.)--or you can do everything yourself.

Working with others allows for other ideas and input. It allows everyone to focus on their part, can really make the creative process faster, and can be really fulfilling.

Working on your own creates such a singular vision. It can be a lot more work, but sometimes that's absolutely worth it.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was to only collaborate with people that truly care about the project. If everyone on the team isn't invested-- you're better off doing it on your own.

Of course, as someone who can draw as well as write, I realize I'm incredibly fortunate. Writers working on their own need artists in this medium. That's a tricky thing.

8: You have a dizzying set of projects under your belt. So we'll ask about 2 in particular: what's been your favorite for-hire project under one of the major comic companies, and what's been your favorite original story to tell (whether solo or collaborative)?

At this point it's actually pretty hard to pick a favorite. It's that whole "which is your favorite kid?" thing mixed with an equal dose of artistic self-loathing.

I love the stories that I've told...I also see the flaws. That's part of being a creative. You look at what you did a month, year, or decade ago and mostly just see the things you'd do differently now.

Artistic neurosis aside, there are definitely stories that I'm incredibly proud of.

My favorite for-hire project is probably Batwoman. I worked on the project for over a year. Batwoman is just a fantastic character. She's an important character to the LGBTQ+ community and an absolute badass to boot. With every project, I try and sharpen a specific skill. With Batwoman, I wanted to get better at drawing hair and fashion. I've gotta say, out of that, I draw some pretty fantastic hair.

My favorite creator owned story is going to be a tie. Get over it. I make the rules here.

We finished The Beautythis fall and it's on my mind. Thirty issues... That's just a LOT of story. I'm proud of every bit of it. Hurley and I set out to tell a story about the lengths we go to in order to look a certain way. We finished it exactly the way we always wanted to. That's an amazing thing.

The other story isThe Red Mother. I've always loved horror. More than just about anything I've done, The Red Mother is me writing something just for me. Luckily, so many fans enjoyed it, too.

9: We waited til pretty far into this interview to hit on it (we did that on purpose, suspense!)- but you've got an enormous personal project that hit a tremendous milestone this year. You raised over $70,000 on Kickstarter to fund Haunthology, a friggin' 160+ page monster of a book filled with comic-form black and white mini horror stories. Dude...where did this come from, and how's the journey been in setting it all in motion?

My schedule is always over full. In the comics industry, you're often lining up things well over a year in advance.

At the end of 2019, I had taken on an incredible amount of work. Maybe the most ambitious lineup of my career. I had a full schedule of things to write and draw. It was all set.

And then in March, the pandemic hit.

Everything shut down-- comics shops and the distributor. Comics publishers had no choice but to put things on hold. Nearly every project that I had in production was paused...and we had no idea when things would come back. Everyone said four to six months. But...maybe more.

Like all of us, during that strange time, I had to pivot-- to figure out what I was going to do.

Comics themselves take a long time to produce. As I mentioned, we work nearly a year in advance. The average comic takes at least six to eight months of work before the first issue even hits the stands.

Because of that, and the uncertainty over how long everything else was on hold, I couldn't just dive into the next thing. So I did what most of us did-- I hung out with my family and got really, really good at baking sourdough bread.

While I loved the time off, I needed to make things. It's just how I am. I'm happiest when I'm being creative.

Since there was no way I was going to be able to start a full new project in the time things were on hold, I pulled out a few short story ideas that I'd been thinking on and decided to just do those.

They started out as an exercise-- me just having fun telling these spooky stories. Pretty soon though, I realized that I was talking about something important with these short stories. Each one dealt with the things I-- we all were feeling during this pandemic: loneliness, isolation, fear, anger. I was telling stories that were about Covid and 2020...without really telling stories that were about the pandemic itself. Instead of Covid, masks, or quarantine, I was talking about monsters, haunted places, and post-apocalyptic landscapes.

Before long, I realized I had a book on my hands.

After just over a year, I collected it all and did a Kickstarter campaign for it. Fans really seemed to dig the project.

I'm absolutely blown away and honored by how well it did.

10: Lets dramatically shift focus. *toad interviewer snaps off glasses and stares intently*. Comic creation and storytelling are not your only areas of passion. You're also a dad to a couple of goobers, you're married to Lori- a lady who's worked tirelessly for downtown Joplin for years now- and you've poured a lot of your own time into Joplin, through everything from fixing up old buildings to frequently volunteering for Downtown Joplin Alliance projects. Why Joplin, man? To the naysayers who don't get it- why are you still HERE , and not only here but pouring so much time and energy into this city?

Getting real, right back...I don't really care about the naysayers.

I love this city. Unapologetically.

It's cool when you're young to talk trash on your hometown and either leave or at least remind everyone that you'll leave...one day. I get that. It's just what people do.

We all looked at things that the city didn't have and said "Somebody needs to...". I think the trick for me was realizing that unless I became one of those "somebodies," stuff just wasn't going to happen.

The second I started doing that, I realized exactly how many other people were actively doing the same thing. They were putting their money where their mouths are. They were trying. They were opening businesses, restaurants, and bars. They were pushing for bike lanes and walking trails.

And I'm not even just talking about people doing big things and opening shops. I began to see how much people care. They were choosing local. They were giving their time, love, and energy to Joplin.

I love that.

I could do what I do anywhere. I love other cities-- some with all the things I want already there, but Joplin is home. And I'm going to continue to help it thrive, as best I can.

11: What are you most excited about for Joplin, looking into years ahead?

I'm excited to watch our community grow. I look forward to seeing all of the planning that's been going on over the past decade come together. There's so much that's coming.

I'm excited to see the next generation build on what we've started. I want to give our children a place that they might choose to stay in-- or at least return to.

I'm proud of what we have here.

12: Last question for you, personally...what do you see yourself doing in 10-20 years? Think you'll still be making comics? Will you be czar of the war-torn city-state of downtown Joplin? Or does it really not matter because you're pretty sure the zombies will have taken over anyway?

Hopefully working a bit less. Traveling more. Definitely that.

I've been working hard to ensure that I can tell the stories I want to tell, exactly my way. I like to think that in ten to twenty years, I'll only be telling those types of stories.

I love the idea of writing a story on the coast of Scotland, then coming home, walking through a NOT war-torn downtown Joplin, and enjoying a bite to eat at one of my favorite spots.

Also naps. Naps are glorious.

13: bonus question. What's your favorite Nic Cage movie?

I haven't seen it, but my idea of what Pay the Ghost is, is absolutely glorious. I want to see a movie that's just Nic Cage running around screaming "PAY THE GHOST! JUST PAY IT, MAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Real answer--Raising Arizona. It's just perfect.

14: Thanks for your time, Jeremy. We really appreciate it. Where can folks find you if they want to reach out or check out your work?

I'm around. I do the social media thing...reluctantly.

FEATURED ARTIST [issue 4]: Jeremy Haun

You can check out Jeremy’s work at jeremyhaun.com; and by following him on instagram under @jerhaun and @comics_and_cocktails.

CONTRIBUTORS:

The Joplin Toad is a Creative Collective.