I’ve always been a sucker for a good anthology, going back to classic EC comics reprints and continuing to things like James Tynion IV and Steve Foxe’s Razorblades, and I’m always on the lookout for more. That’s why I was excited to talk with writer/artist/publisher/podcaster Matt Emmons about his just launched Kickstarter campaign for Vol. 2 of his sci-fi/fantasy anthology, Dagger Dagger, which features stories from creators like Nicole Goux, Liana Kangas, Christine Larsen, Dan McDaid, Troy Nixey and Lonnie Nadler.
Matt Lazorwitz: What’s the elevator pitch for Dagger Dagger Vol. 2?
Matt Emmons: Dagger Dagger is a pretty straightforward concept — it’s a pulpy, black-and-white, magazine-sized comics anthology full of established and new creators telling some wild sci-fi/fantasy stories.
Matt L: How do you go about gathering creators for an anthology? Do you solicit pitches in the wild? Do you approach specific creators? A little bit of both?
Matt E: Definitely both! Some are creators I’ve always wanted to work with, some I’ve found more recently, usually through social media or mutual artist connections. When someone catches my eye, I’ll look through their previous work, and especially in the case of Dagger Dagger I’m looking out for artists that are comfortable with limited color or have very distinct inking styles.
Matt L: The description of the book calls it a “sci-fi/dark fantasy magazine.” Are there different things you look for in a sci-fi story than a fantasy story when you’re picking something for a project like this? Aside from, you know, science in one and magic in the other, obviously.
Matt E: I’m looking for creators with strong storytelling skills in general, but I like to allow the genre requirement to take shape however the other creators choose. It’s exciting to get concepts in where there’s a touch of romance here, a smattering of body horror there, things I wouldn’t necessarily think to do on my own that then widen my perspective and enhance the range of the types of stories within.
I wanted to make a book where creators could have some fun and tell the kind of stories they want to. I won’t spoil anything with specifics, but in regards to science being the focus of one vs. magic in the other — some span both! My favorite part about comics as a medium is you can do pretty much anything you want, you just have to draw it.
Matt L: You have some great creators on this new project; I started listing the creators I was looking forward to seeing, and I wound up listing half of them. When you’re getting these submissions, do you ever get that, “Wow, I’m working with this person” feeling?
Matt E: I’m always a little starstruck when putting these together. I’m a small fry, especially compared to some people I’ve had the privilege of working with. I can still remember buying books by some creators years back before I even drew my own comics, and now they’re excited to be a part of a project I’m making. It’s a massive source of both inspiration and motivation to keep growing.
On the other hand, I’ve also had creators I reach out to tell me they’ve been a fan of my work already, or that they were impressed with the first volume of Dagger Dagger, and that’s a whole new level of excitement. It’s so easy to feel like I’m creating things in a void, and to find myself being an inspiration to others makes my head spin. In a good way!
Matt L: You’re publishing this book, and your other campaigns, through your own small press, Second At Best Press. Why did you start your own publishing endeavor? What are you looking to do with it moving forward, with both comics and other projects?
Matt E: I started self-publishing because I didn’t know any other way to do it! For a long while I was terrified of pitching, and when I finally started pitching to publishers, I never really heard back. I still wanted to make my own books, and that turned into making an actual small press with a name. I’d been using the nickname for my social media beforehand, but it started to sound great in my head as a business name. From there I started dreaming up the idea of publishing other creators’ work as well. Peow and ShortBox in particular have been paramount to that dream (I’m sad they’re closing up soon), and so I decided to lean into it and work toward building a reputation for putting out consistent work.
I intend to keep publishing comics, both mine and hopefully others outside of anthologies, but I’m also slowly getting into tabletop role playing games. The two feel intertwined in more than a handful of ways, and I can’t help but want to try my hand at them as well.
Matt L: This is, obviously, Vol. 2, after a successful campaign for Vol. 1. What did you learn from the first campaign, or your other successful campaigns, that you would want to share with those out there looking to crowdfund their own project?
Matt E: I’d say the biggest lesson I learned was to be willing to take some risks and put your work out there. Dagger Dagger started out as a fun idea after I got rejected from every anthology I’d applied for. I also got a hell of a lot of no’s from publishers when pitching Gardener, but it still felt worth pursuing. Fortunately people proved that rang true and helped turn it into something absolutely worth putting the work into. The benefit of self-publishing, and crowdfunding too, is that you’re able to get these projects out directly to the audience.
The other major hurdle is shipping. It’s the least enjoyable part, in my experience at least, and international shipping is tough. It always ends up wildly out of your control. Delays happen, and there’s not always something you can do to move it along, but as long as you communicate with everyone involved, it’ll all work out.
The campaign for Dagger Dagger Vol. 2 runs through May 12 on Kickstarter.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of five. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the creator interview podcast WMQ&A with Dan Grote.
