3 Acclaimed Creators * 1 Hardcover Treasury * Over 100 Pages of Stories
#WhatThe #HEK
August 13, 2019) What if….
What if the TWILIGHT ZONE and McSweeney’s made a baby?
And what if the baby was one hardcover treasury of comics — curated and created by three acclaimed creators -- featuring over 100 pages of story and art?
The HEK Treasury will be presented in a large prestige format hardcover (8 ¾ x 11 5/8 )* and offer readers an immersive experience, featuring full color art, a tri-fold narrative poster and loose-leaf story cards. Hurtt, Enger, and Kindt began sharing a studio in St. Louis in 2015 and have been creating graphic novels and comic books side by side for the last four years. This is their first truly collaborative effort and the inaugural publication by their new collective, HEK Studios.
“My first book was published in 2001 and I’ve been publishing ever since,” said Matt Kindt, the bestselling creator of Mind MDMT and DEPT. H. “But it didn’t start that way. I did over 600 pages of mini-comics from the end of high school until I was out of college in 1995. And for the next five years I continued to write and draw and self-publish my own comics. I was playing around with the form even then. Using special papers and mixing paper and binding techniques to make some strange looking books. Once I was published, a lot of that formal experimentation got left behind. I’ve spent the majority of my career working within the covers and on the pages – trying to push comics into new territory within certain boundaries and limitations that traditional publishing requires.”
Matt’s contribution to The HEK Treasury is “The Great Mech Wars,” 3 interconnecting 10-page chapters presenting the tale of an old, sad war-mech.
Marie’s Enger’s stories for the The HEK Treasury share a dystopian theme of bleak, fantastical, ruined worlds and great despair — leading to new, dangerous, beginnings. From death cults to telepathy, her stories push the outer limits of storytelling.
“I’m really afraid of change,” said Marie’s Enger, the creator of the table-top RPG CASKET LAND and the graphic retelling of NOSFERATU. “That is super weird to say, because I think if you want to make art, you have to...adapt to changes very quickly. I don’t. I get scared, I get anxious. I love telling stories about that kind of stuff too - things changing (and not usually for the better), people being thrown out of their routine into something strange, or rotten, or dust covered, or bloody. I sit with all these short little stories in my head, they’re not enough for full length graphic novels, or even a single issue sometimes.”
“This got dark,” said Hurtt. “But these stories will transport you, off our couch, out of your car, away from your phones and into…”
“OUTER PLACES” asked Enger.
“I was going to say amazing stories,” said Hurtt. “Our goal is to be the “McSweeney’s of comic book publishers – presenting challenging works in all genres that pushing the format and medium into new places.”
Last summer, HEK Studios purchased a vintage Route 66 garage (circa 1953). They’ve been working on converting it into the first full-time exclusive comic book studio in St. Louis.
The HEK TREASURY Kickstarter campaign is live now at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ohhek/hek-treasury
For updates follow, HEK Studios on Twitter, Instagram and Patreon.
About The Creators:
Brian Hurtt is the artist and co-creator (along with Cullen Bunn) of the critically acclaimed comic series, The Sixth Gun and The Damned. He is also a contributor to the popular web and print comic Table Titans, where he was the artist and writer for Volumes 3 and 4 in the series. Brian is also the co-creator and co-writer of Shadow Roads (Oni) and Manor Black (Dark Horse).
Marie Enger is the creator and artist behind the eldritch stoner comic, FHTAGN and LOATHING, the table-top RPG CASKET LAND, and the graphic retelling of NOSFERATU! She largely self publishes, but has done comics and covers for Rick and Morty, Invader ZIM, Adventure Time, Rocko’s Modern Life, and is the artist behind PUP’s “PINE POINT” and “THE COAST.” She’s won no awards, but once won a bike for selling a lot of wrapping paper.
Matt Kindt is the New York Times bestselling writer and artist of the comics and graphic novels Dept. H, Mind MGMT, Revolver, 3 Story, Super Spy, 2 Sisters, and Pistolwhip, as well as Justice League of America (DC), Spider-Man (Marvel), Unity, Ninjak, Rai, and Divinity (Valiant). He has been nominated for 4 Eisner and 6 Harvey Awards (and won once). His work has been published in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Korean. The author lives in St. Louis, MO, with his wife and Dept H. collaborator, the colorist and artist Charlene Kindt.
* The standard comic book is 6 ⅝ V 10 ⅛ inches.