DF Interview: Kyle Starks brings a haunting detective story to life... on the corner of ‘Pine and Merrimac’

 

By Byron Brewer

 

On the corner of Pine and Merrimac sits a small, unassuming town. Just a simple place, simple people, and one horrifying secret that could change everything.

 

After a lifetime of witnessing the worst that humanity has to offer, former homicide detective Linnea Kent has decided to put all of that behind her.

 

Alongside her husband, a former professional MMA fighter and the unofficial brawn to her brains, she's moved far from the busy city to open up a quiet little detective agency.

 

At first, the simple cases this nook of the world has to offer were exactly what she was looking for, but there's more to the quaint hamlet than Linnea could have possibly imagined, and something truly sinister is pulling the strings…

 

Eisner-nominated scribe Kyle Starks (I Hate This Place, Creepshow) is joined by artist Fran Galán (The Amazing Spider-Man) for an unexpected detective tale, Pine and Merrimac! I had the privilege of chatting about the new limited series with writer Kyle Starks.

 

Byron Brewer: Kyle, I love a mystery. The more noir, the better. Before we dive into your epic limited series, Pine and Merrimac (a street corner in the town in which your characters operate, I love it), give us a little feel for the canvas you and artist Fran Galán are setting up, the world you are building for us to visit.

 

Kyle Starks: In a quaint little town on the corner of Pine and Merrimac is a little detective agency ran by a happily married couple taking on cozy cases who one day takes the wrong one and finds the town isn’t so quaint and that is harbors a dark secret.  Our happy couple will find themselves wrapped up in a simple case that becomes one of escalating horrors.

 

You have to read that with a dramatic voice. Something like that!

 

Byron: What was the inspiration for this sinister tale?

 

Kyle Starks: I don’t think I could draw a straight line for inspiration from outside media but for me, it’s very much a spiritual successor to my Eisner nominated series I Hate This Place. There’s some sick part of me that loves taking charming people who love each other and putting them in terrible, terrible dangers.

 

If you were looking for comparisons, BOOM did a great job comparing it to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Twin Peaks.  I think there’s a correlation in there.

 

Byron: Introduce readers to protagonists Linnea Kent and her husband Parker. Who are they when we meet them, and what background can you give us on them, on their chemistry?

 

Kyle Starks: Linnea is an ex-homicide detective who found she couldn’t stand being around murder physically or mentally so she went back to her home town to open a cozy detective agency – no murders, no missing people.  Her husband Parker is an ex-MMA fighter who gave up his career to be with her.  They adore each other. They’re soul mates.

 

I think happy couplings are a joy to be around and deserve more representation in media and the Kents are definitely that. I hope nothing bad happens to them!

 

Byron: What other citizenry of Jamesport will be important to this limited series as it unfolds? Can you spotlight a few of those characters here?

 

Kyle Starks: We’ll visit a bunch of interesting characters through the town where the Kents’ detective agency is. There’s Jody the conspiracy theorist who runs the Army Surplus Store next door. There’s Abigail Byrne, the drunk hot mess looking for revenge after the Kents worked a case that got her divorced after she cheated on her husband.  There’s a lot of weirdness in Jamesport that will unfold as we get deeper and deeper into the mess the Kents will find themselves in.

 

Byron: I am not trying to elicit a “Read the book” response (detest those), BUT… can you offer readers at this stage any clues at hints at all about the sinister mystery, the horrifying secret that is set to have such a big impact on Linnea’s life?

 

Kyle Starks: The problem with a mystery or this type of book is it’s tough to talk about without giving anything away. But I will say this is a book about escalation of terrors.  Each issue gets worse. By the time we get to the final issue, we’ll be a fair bit away from issue #1.

 

Byron: Speaking of mysteries and secrets, will this series have a detective tool for the reader? In other words, will bread crumbs be dropped our way that we can put the puzzle pieces together as we can (even though Linnea may NOT be) as the story progresses? Love that element!

 

Kyle Starks: I always love that type of thing too but this is a different type of book, I think, one that will appeal to mystery fans as much as true crime and horror fans.  What starts as a missing girl will escalate each issue into something bigger and more terrible and I think for fans who like to figure out what comes next, it will definitely scratch an itch.

 

Byron: Talk about the awesome art of Fran Galán.

 

Kyle Starks: I, honestly, can’t talk enough about how great Fran Galán is.  I say, sincerely, that I believe he’s on the cusp of being a huge name in comics.  He’s really, really good.  I worked with him on my installment in the first Eisner-nominated, Creepshow Anthology at Skybound and was so blown away I was desperate to work with him again. Fran has an incredible aesthetic, an incredible grasp on the media and makes just truly beautiful art. He is setting the tone and doing so much heavy lifting bringing this book to life and I’m endlessly grateful to be partnered with him.

 

Byron: Kyle, what other projects in which you may be involved can you tell readers about? 

 

Kyle Starks: 2023 was the busiest year of my career to date and it’s carrying over to 2024. But like almost everything in comics, you can’t talk about anything until it’s been announced and nothing’s been announced! BUT I can mention a few things along with Pine and Merrimac. Image is combining my Eisner-nominated series Rock Candy Mountain into one collection and I’m thrilled about it. That comes out the middle of 2024. I also have a YA book from First Second called Karate Prom coming out at the same time. It’s exactly what it sounds like and will be a ton of fun for all ages big and small.  And, of course, a lot more Kyle Starks to come in 2024.

 

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Kyle Starks for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Pine and Merrimac #1 from BOOM! Studios is in stores now!