Amber Love interviews AKAPAD Alumni Ken Heaser

Ken Heaser is a former collaborator of Peter A. DeLuca (AKAPAD) and worked under his company, NouVeau Studios.

As one of AKAPAD’s proud alumni, Ken brought tremendous talent and creative energy to our projects during his time with us. We at AKAPAD.COM are more than happy to promote and track Ken’s journey as he continues to build an impressive career in comics and beyond. We eagerly await his next exciting projects — and of course, his eventual amazing work on Spider-Man!

This classic 2009 interview with Amber Love captures Ken during an exciting period in his career while working on The Living Corpse. Enjoy the conversation!

[00:00:10]
Summary of Publishing Developments and Character Overview

• The creators of The Living Corpse are currently in the process of securing a new publisher. Multiple major publishers have shown strong interest, and an official announcement is expected soon.
• The character of The Living Corpse is conceptualized as someone who travels between the living world and the deceased world. His setting, New Jersey, is portrayed as an analog for the real Jersey environment, grounding the supernatural elements in a relatable locale.
• Lilith, another key character, is described as a quintessential Jersey goth girl who is fascinated by death and the macabre, representing a subcultural archetype often associated with purple hair and gothic fashion.

[00:01:09]
Creative Approach to Classic Monsters and Research Process

• Each issue, or sometimes two-part issues, of the series focuses on a classic monster, such as Frankenstein’s monster and his bride.
• The creators rely primarily on their personal cultural knowledge and childhood influences rather than extensive academic research for most monsters. Their versions of creatures like Frankenstein’s monster and the boss werewolf are shaped by their own interpretations and nostalgia.
• An exception is the issue involving Voodoo themes, for which the team conducted detailed research to ensure authenticity, including understanding the language and cultural context linked to Voodoo practices.
• This selective research approach highlights a balance between creative freedom and respect for cultural accuracy where needed.

[00:02:10]
Hack/Slash Team-Up Experience and Creative Freedom

• The team describes their experience doing a Hack/Slash crossover as very enjoyable, noting they were allowed substantial creative freedom during the process.
• Their script was reviewed by the original creators or editors, who appreciated the fun and playful tone, specifically mentioning the inclusion of the Jersey Devil character.
• This collaboration was marked by a relaxed editorial approach, encouraging the team to inject their unique style and regional flavor into the story.

[00:02:42]
Event Context and Personal Notes on Pittsburgh Comic-Con

• The interview takes place at Pittsburgh Comic-Con, a favored event for the creators. They appreciate the show’s atmosphere, the quality of the group, and especially the hospitality, noting it as one of the few cons that actually provides food to exhibitors.
• A notable detail is the availability of cheeseburger delivery at the event, which adds to its appeal from the creators’ perspective.
• Pittsburgh Comic-Con ranks alongside Baltimore Comic-Con as one of their favorite conventions.

[00:03:42]
Upcoming Appearances and Additional Details

• The creators confirm they will be attending Wonder Woman Day at the same venue but clarify they will not be wearing Wonder Woman costumes.
• One team member teases that they will wear something related but different, promising to reveal further details later.
• The segment concludes with thanks to the interviewer and the person responsible for filming.

Key Insights

• Publishing Transition: The series is in a transitional phase with multiple major publishers interested, indicating growing momentum and potential for wider distribution.
• Character and Setting: The use of New Jersey as a familiar, grounded backdrop adds relatable texture to the supernatural narrative.
• Selective Research: Authenticity is prioritized selectively, notably for culturally sensitive elements like Voodoo, while other monsters are creatively reinterpreted.
• Creative Autonomy: Collaborations such as the Hack/Slash team-up demonstrate the creators’ ability to maintain their voice within established franchises.
• Community Engagement: The team values conventions like Pittsburgh Comic-Con not just for exposure but for the supportive environment and amenities.

Definitions and Comparisons

Timeline of Key Events

Keywords

• The Living Corpse
• New Jersey analog
• Goth subculture
• Classic monsters
• Voodoo authenticity
• Hack/Slash team-up
• Pittsburgh Comic-Con
• Publishing transition

Here is the transcript of this video
00:00:10
that’s totally going in the clip our guys are here at an easier from the living corpse okay first of all we have some big developments that I heard what’s going on with where you’re being published we actually we’re looking for a new publisher right now okay we’ve got a couple different big publishers looking at it just seemed very interested in it and hopefully we have an announcement very soon exactly where it’s going to very soon yes first thing you’re gonna tell me first of course

00:00:35
okay yes you will get the scoop so um now let’s talk about the living corpse character is he since he gets to travel between the living world and the deceased world is that how you see New Jersey for it’s pretty much like an analog for everything we see in the Jersey yeah yeah okay and how about the character of Lilith is she is she a Jersey girl too or she’s on anyway no she’s definitely a Jersey girl she’s just like your typical goth girl that just loves loves the dead I can’t

00:01:09
imagine where you’d find goth girls with purple hair no oh so now it seems like each issue or maybe two parter that you have going has a particular classic monster you’ve got like Frankenstein’s monster and his bride so how do you go about doing any research on this is it just that you’re you know what you’ve grown up with so you’re starting fresh or are you actually doing some hardcore research it’s changed the character no it’s pretty much like just how we like the

00:01:40
cut like the different monsters like our version of like how we like Frankenstein how we boss were out too just from growing up pretty much that’s about it that a lot of research on the Voodoo issue because we wanted to be that seems pretty often yet author is a different you know language yeah so I want one day we wanted to get it very authentic so that one we pretty much did a lot of research everything else is just pretty much out of our head and what was it like doing the hack slash team up it was a lot of fun they let us

00:02:10
pretty much do whatever we want maybe fed Jersey Devil really okay yeah what yeah they uh he looked over the script was like it it’s fun it’s like you know we don’t mind how uh honey this yeah sorry that’s about it all right and then so we are here by the way I didn’t mention where I Pittsburgh comic-con so why Pittsburgh we always come we always love Pittsburgh it’s fun show their one the only ones that actually feeds you too yeah I noticed that there’s actually like a cheeseburger delivery yep and

00:02:42
it’s a great show there’s a lot of great guys here the group’s great it’s like this one and Baltimore briar favorite shows yeah and and we will be getting to see you at a Wonder Woman day of here inside here but we’re not actually asking you to wear the Wonder Woman outfit oh yeah I’m gonna get to wear it what am I gonna wear I will talk about that later okay but yes I will be there yeah can’t wait excellent so thanks for joining us today can thanks to Trevor for filming without driver

00:03:42
you

PETER A DELUCA AKAPD

AKAPAD is a versatile thinker known across Philadelphia, Europe, and even in the vast Multiverse as The Electic One. By day, he excels as an IT Mastermind, assisting individuals, both big and small, with a wide range of simple and complex solutions. In contrast, he is also a talented illustrator, a passionate comic book enthusiast, a creative content creator, and an active live streamer. Additionally, his podcast, “AKAPAD The Film Buff Podcast,” boasts an impressive catalog of over 500 episodes available on nearly every major platform.