WTF: Swearing Up A Storm With ‘Foul Mouth’ Creator Steve Urena

Holy scatology! Imagine being able to bring your swear words to life. That’s the superpower a young woman receives after being possessed by a demon, in the comic book Foul Mouth, which is currently being crowdfunded via Kickstarter. In a Comicon.com exclusive, Foul Mouth writer Steve Urena discusses why he made the move from horror to superheroes, the critical role that lettering plays in this book and why profanity has so much power.

Tom Smithyman: Let me start with the obvious question. WTF were you thinking when you came up with this idea?

Steve Urena: Haha! WTF is right! The idea came to me during a walk at the height of the pandemic. I had two horror titles under my belt, and I was trying to figure out my next move in comics. I thought about what I can do that the big two can’t do, and the idea of writing a story with cursing being the focus came to me. That snowballed into a demon-possessed superhero who gets her powers from cursing. After fast killer sloths, a chancleta-wielding grandma fighting zombies and Santa-battling robots, I knew that this idea was the next step in my comics journey.

Smithyman: Naturally! How exactly do Foul Mouth’s powers work? How do you turn bad words into weapons?

Urena: Due to her demon possession, Foul Mouth can bring her curse words to life. The more creative her curses, the more dangerous and animated they become in the real world. If she were to call someone a `shit sandwich,’ the shit sandwich will be conjured up into the real world to be used as a weapon during a fight.

Smithyman: Foul Mouth’s alter ego’s name Faye Flik. That feels like a name that really lends itself to some F-bomb jokes, right?

Urena: Absolutely! The name of the comic was going to originally be called Superf**k, but there is a comic called Superfuckers, so I decided to change it and go in another direction. Her name is my homage to superhero comics, and I needed an alliteration. Faye Flik is the perfect name. Two F words!

Smithyman: Why did you choose a young woman to deliver the swear words?

Urena: I chose a young woman to be the deliverer of swear words because a lot of the most awesome women in my life love to curse. I based a lot of Foul Mouth on my girlfriend because she loves to curse, and she has told me that cursing gives her power. That helped shape the character and Faye Flik was born. She is shy and timid as she is moving to a new town, but as Foul Mouth, she isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind and let those expletives fly.

Smithyman: You’ve talked about being advised by a comics pro to stay in your lane and stick to writing horror, which is a suggestion that your ignored to write Foul Mouth. Why do you think that was questionable guidance?

Urena: I don’t think they meant to be mean. The comic industry is an odd business, and I think they wanted to say if you’re doing something right, keep doing it. But I just disagree with how it was said to me. I am taking a risk by switching to superhero comics instead of horror, but what’s life without risk? If you don’t take a risk, there is no reward. I want to prove my versatility. I want to try as many different genres and writing styles as possible. How will I grow if I don’t try new things?

Smithyman: Your creative team includes artist Sarah Davidson and letterer HdE. What were their reactions when you pitched the idea to them?

Urena: I went through my comic school (Comics Experience) to find HdE and Sarah Davidson. I picked them based on their portfolios, and they are perfect for this project. So far, I have seen nothing but positive reactions from them as they put their all into this comic without any pushback or concern. They brought this to life, and I am forever appreciative of that. It looks incredible.

Smithyman: We don’t usually think too much about a letterer’s job, but in a case where certain words carry a lot of power, it seems that HdE has a lot riding on the treatment of each letter.

Urena: That’s why I chose both HdE and Sarah Davidson. HdE does the excellent lettering, but Sarah did a great job of taking the giant curse words and displaying them on the page. The lettering brought all of this together. If this went wrong, I don’t think the comic would work.

Smithyman: Why do you think profanity has so much power in speech or literature? Is it some artificial construct of society or something more basic?

Urena: Because it’s fucking powerful. Cursing brings language to life. It may seem vulgar, but it gives your sentence some attitude and flair. It’s universal and everyone can relate to it. That’s why I believe the world is ready for a demon-possessed superhero who gets her power from cursing.

Smithyman: Let’s say that I end up unfairly panning Foul Mouth in my Comicon.com review. What’s your best obscenity-laced rebuttal to a shitty review?

Urena: Get fucked! If you’re not down with Foul Mouth you can suck shit through a straw and shut the fuck up. Shout out to the real motherfuckers who read it and enjoy it. Thank you for this interview and for not being a punk bitch!

Smithyman: Wow. You sound a lot like my teenage son! Good luck with the *&%*)&%# Kickstarter campaign!