Buggin' Out with Timothy Fling!
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Hey Friends!
Brand new Buggin’ Out! Read it or you’ll end up stubbing your pinky toe on a coffee table leg.
SCOTT WILKE: Hey, Tim! Thanks for joining me! So, I think the first thing of yours I ever saw was Water Wars: 2288. Then I realized how much is in your library! I didn’t realize how deep that ocean was. (Pun intended.) For those unfamiliar, tell us about all your works.
TIMOTHY FLING: Thanks for asking, I really appreciate this. My small imprint, Earth Dog Studios, currently publishes four indie comic titles. Socket, Water Wars: 2288, Water Wars: Chronicles, and Call of the Cryptid.
In 2024, we will also launch our first full-length novel. It is an apocalyptic Asian thriller, along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Blade Runner.
SCOTT: Nice! Can’t wait for that. So, I like to front-load the juicy, exclusive content. So, tell us something you’ve never mentioned on another interview/podcast. It can be a fun fact, hidden talent, embarrassing moment, etc.
TIMOTHY: My friend, comic creator David Doub, always reminds me that I should reveal my musical past, because I never talk about it. In the eighties and early nineties, I was a touring musician, with my band opening up for the likes of Anthrax, Metallica, KIX, Metal Church, and other juggernauts! I even spent a very cool evening with Wendy O. of the Plasmatics, while she was wearing only shaving cream! Yep, she went on stage fully nude, except for shaving cream covering her naughty bits!
SCOTT: That sounds like the premise of a Bad Bug Midnight book! Haha. So, I like to time travel with my interviewees. Tell us about young Timothy. Was he a good kid? Troublemaker? What was he into? What did he want to be when he grew up?
TIMOTHY: You know, teachers often described me as not meeting my potential. I was not a good student. School just never quite resonated with me… although I tried. I got through two years of college, and then I dropped out to join a metal band that had a small tour. Admittedly a great life experience, but maybe not the best use of my education years.
In those days, I was SURE that I would be a professional musician.
SCOTT: Well, grab your guitar, ‘cause we’re time-traveling again. Timothy just finished his FIRST script. Which book was it? What was your hope for it at that moment? Did you want to take it to Marvel or DC? Pitch it to Hollywood?
TIMOTHY: My story here starts with Socket! Some of you might know that I sort of started by writing pitches for animation projects, and this one was a robot rock band that solved crimes, basically, they fought a villain of the week. I had been submitting these script pitches to a network called SPIKE TV. That network failed, most likely because they passed on my incredible show idea.
SCOTT: Their failure was deserved, clearly! Speaking of failures, tell us about an EPIC FAIL in your career. How did you recover from it?
TIMOTHY: So… in short,. I submitted dozens of animated scripts over the years… and was rejected every time. Not even one. Rejection became my middle name! In the meanwhile, however, I learned to write, and to edit, and to create. This skill came in handy years later.
Here we are ten years after, and all the books are published, and out in the market.
SCOTT: I LOVE reimagining existing properties/characters. It’s so much fun. You put an interesting spin on a classic with The Hunchback of Theological Quadrant 19. Tell us a bit about what went into that title.
TIMOTHY: I am a huge fan of all the classic Universal Monsters. I love characters that can not quite speak, so this led to our attempt at the silent story! Originally the story was about a futuristic mutant, who spoke in a weird code language with symbols and so forth. Once I looked at it, I was like… hey. This should be a robot instead, who speaks with clicks and buzzes. From then the story just flowed right out.
A damaged robot in an old bell tower. It just felt right.
SCOTT: Oh, it’s totally right. Now, your other title, Water Wars: 2288, is a pretty expansive universe that seems to continue to expand! Explain, to the unfamiliar, what that series is about and what you have planned for its future.
TIMOTHY: A solar event corrupts the world’s water supply, and society collapses. From here, the survivors’ stories are told from differing perspectives. There are three main female protagonists, each with their own goal. They all occupy the same world, and occasionally their paths cross. The series follows their adventures in an episodic format.
We just released our first trade edition, which is a whopping 152 pages, which collects Volume One through Four. Volume Five is in production now, look for that in November 2024.
The first few issues are also available nationally, anthologized in the pages of Planet Comics from Antarctic Press.
SCOTT: It’s clear that you’ve built some amazing worlds. Is there any property outside of them you would LOVE to write for? It can be from the big two or from the indie scene.
TIMOTHY: I’d love to try a reboot, or something along those lines, of an obscure character. You know, like a Red Tornado solo series, or Plastic Man. Anything from the Vertigo line! On the movie side, I want to write the reboot for the Land of the Lost. A true reboot this time. Nothing against Will Ferrell, I love him, but that remake should not have been a comedy.
SCOTT: I would love to check out your version! So, let’s talk about cons real quick. Tell us your favorite con experience and your least favorite con experience.
TIMOTHY: My best experience was two years ago at the Baltimore Comic Convention. One of the collectors makes trading cards, similar to a baseball card, of all the attendees on artist alley. He then visits each artist alley booth, and gets the autograph of the creator. So, I found myself in the surreal situation of signing my name on a baseball card with my photo on it!
My worst con, that is an easy one to remember. Last year at the Hershey Comic Con, just as I was walking in the front door, on the first morning, my phone rang. My mother explained in breathless gasps that my uncle had just passed away. He and I were close, and he was a guitar player also. The news shook me pretty bad, and I still had to put on a big smile and finish the gig.
I knew he would have wanted that.
SCOTT: I’m so sorry for your loss. I know he’d be proud of all you accomplished!
So, we worked together on Monster World (not directly, but through Mike). Looking over the original script you wrote, I could tell you had a passion for Cryptozoology. What’s your favorite cryptid and is there anything else cryptid-related of yours people can check out?
TIMOTHY: First off, thanks for including me on that fun project! Monster World was the first time I had collaborated with a co-writer. I liked where you took the concept.
I have been fascinated by Bigfoot, UFOs, and the Mothman for years. (To me, they are connected) When we started writing our Call of the Cryptid series, I wanted a very weird sci-fi slant. You know, our Cryptids are like the off-brand version, odd and not what you expected.
For example, our Bigfoot character is ultra-intelligent, and he has an erudite vocabulary.
SCOTT: Speaking of vocabulary, our good friend, Editor John (John MacLeod), wants to know… what is the Fling Writing Session Soundtrack?
TIMOTHY: Great question. My go-to writing background music is classic Black Sabbath. It is playing right now!
SCOTT: Rock on, man! I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat! Why don’t you take this time to tell everyone what you got going on right now? What’s in the pipeline for Timothy Fling?
TIMOTHY: Yes sir! We launch Call of the Cryptid Vol. Two in August 2024, and then the novel launches in November.
Of course, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men.
Thanks to our amazing backers, and thanks once again, Scott! This interview is really a pleasure.
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