DF Interview: Mat Heagerty offers a touching tale of following your passions in ‘Martian Ghost Centaur’

By Byron Brewer

The town of Southborough used to be a major tourism destination, drawing folks from all over the country in the hopes they'd spot the famous Sasquatch, reportedly seen in the town many times over the years. But it's been ages since anyone's spotted the 'squatch, and tourism is starting to dry up. A tech company called Start-up.com (a start-up that helps people start their own start-ups) decides to begin buying up places all over town in order to build their techie headquarters, driving out all the local townspeople.

Luckily, Southborough is also home to Louie O'Connor, firm believer in the Sasquatch's existence and all-around mega 'squatch fan. When Louie's dad’s restaurant, Squatch Burger, starts to go under and fall prey to the techie start-up, Louie and her best friend Felix decide they'll do whatever it takes to save the town from losing all the people and places that make it special.

In hopes that convincing people the Sasquatch is real and to drive back tourism, Louie and Felix plan an elaborate hoax in hopes of saving the town from the dot-com takeover. But when Felix starts talking about leaving their hometown for college in LA, Louie will have to face some tough questions about herself, her future career, and her place in her beloved hometown.

From Oni Press comes Martian Ghost Centaur, a graphic novel full of humor and heart by writer Mat Heagerty and artist Steph Mided. DF wanted to find out about this tale for ages 12 and up, so we sat down with scribe Mat Heagerty.

Dynamic Forces: Mat, I really don’t know how to describe this graphic novel – only to say that I think it will speak to a world of folks who have grown up in small towns and are seeing them vanish or fail, one by one. To corporate or, in our reality, to the ramifications of Covid-19. What was the inspiration for this sweet graphic novel tale, Martian Ghost Centaur?

Mat Heagerty: Hee hee, I hear you! This is a hard one to pitch! So, my inspiration wasn’t actually a small town, but a small bar in a big city. Up until the pandemic hit, I bartended for twelve years in a really special spot in San Francisco called El Rio. During that time, I watched the bar and its neighborhood (the Mission District/Bernal Heights) make a seriously aggressive transformation with SF’s second tech boom. So many of the people and places that made the neighborhood special were just wiped out, replaced with a bunch of bland. Luckily, even with the pandemic, El Rio has managed to hold on. It’s actually 42 years old this month!

DF: Describe the world you are building here–Southborough: what it was, and what it is in danger of becoming.

Mat Heagerty: Southborough was a tourist destination tucked in the woods of Northern California that became a haven for unique people and unique businesses-- like an underground bunker grocery store, or a mechanic who’s also the town dentist. What Southborough is in, when our story starts, is big trouble. Tourism has all but halted and the town needs money badly. What it’s in danger of becoming is the new headquarters of a tech company and the former home to all those unique people and places.

DF: Introduce readers to Louie and Felix. Who are they, and who are they to each other?

Mat Heagerty: Louie O’Connor has lived her entire life in Southborough. She’s tenacious, industrious,  and the town’s biggest fan. Her best friend Felix is a sweet, cat-loving kid who idolizes a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-esque muscley dude. The two have shared a love of the town’s tourist drawing sasquatch since they were kids. But these days, Felix is starting to think maybe the sasquatch isn’t real. Not Louie though, her devotion to the ‘squatch is unending.

DF: Tell us ‘bout the ‘SQUATCH! (And/or the hoax thereof.)

Mat Heagerty: Southborough blossoming into such a home for the unique is the result of folks coming to try and spot a sasquatch that Louie’s dad famously captured in a video. I don’t want to give too much away, but the ‘squatch in the video isn’t real.

DF: What is the basic storyline of the book?

Mat Heagerty: Louie O’Connor tries everything in her power to stop Southborough from being taken over by a tech company. To help save her family’s restaurant, she takes a job she sees as below her at a gas station. There Louie learns a lot about life from her boss Pratima. With some help from her new boss, Louie also creates a hoax of her own! 

DF: Talk about the art of Steph Mided.

Mat Heagerty: If I could, I would keep making books with Steph forever. She is insanely talented and made everything I wrote look a thousand times more impactful. She’s so funny too! She added a ton of hilarious visual gags to the book. I’m pretty sure after people see the pages from Martian Ghost Centaur that Steph will have endless folks wanting to work with her. And if they get a chance, they should! She’s amazing!

DF: Mat, what other projects are you involved in that you can tell readers about, in or outside comics?

Mat Heagerty: I have two other graphic novels coming from Oni in the next couple of years. In 2022, artist Sam Owen and I have a graphic novel called ‘Lumberjackula’ being published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Besides those books, I’m pitching and hoping and most likely holding a baby or helping my daughter with Zoom kindergarten.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Mat Heagerty for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The Martian Ghost Centaur OGN from Oni Press is slated to hit stores March 17^th!

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