Talking ‘Pine And Merrimac’ With Writer Kyle Starks

A former MMA fighter and a former cop get married and start a detective agency. This is the premise of writer Kyle Starks and artist Fran Galán‘s new series, Pine and Merrimac. Featuring letters by Pat Brosseau, find out how the series got it’s name in the following interview with Starks:

Rachel Bellwoar: The first time readers see Linnea, Parker is bringing her breakfast in bed. If what you wear to bed is revealing, what does Linnea’s alien t-shirt and evil eye necklace say about her?

Kyle Starks: I think she’s actually wearing a locket BUT the alien shirt, all of that, the takeaway is she’s just a normal person. She’s just like you or me sleeping in a comfortable old tee.

I think the thing you want when creating a world to enter for a mystery, or at least, what I wanted for this mystery is that these are mostly normal people. They are just like you and me. And the trick to that setup is that situation they will find themselves will grow and escalate each issue and it will become entirely unusual and entirely not mundane.

We can relate with normal people, we can sympathize with them. We can put ourselves in their place. And we want that kind of immersion.

Bellwoar: One of Linnea and Parker’s would-be clients actually makes this mistake in the first issue, but Pine and Merrimac is where their detective agency is located, not a combination of their last names. What made you want to put the emphasis on where rather than who with the title?

Starks: I think the answer is that titles are a challenge – you want something memorable but also something that stands out or asks a question. I, personally, think Pine and Merrimac is unique, has a nice ring to it and it asks a question of “what is this book about?” Come on in and find out!

I, also, really like the idea of this being a potential series and calling the next one “_____ ______: A Pine and Merrimac Mystery” really sung for me.

And, finally, it’s way better than The Kents as a title because people would think it’s a different comic book entirely.

Bellwoar: A lot of detective stories like to string out the ‘will they/won’t they’ of two partners getting together. Linnea and Parker are already married. How has writing and drawing for such a happily married couple added to the story?

Starks: I like writing happily married couples. I like being around people who really love each other. I did it before to much success in my Eisner Nominated series I Hate This Place from Skybound. I think happily cohabitating and successful relationships are worth being represented in our media and pop culture. I love being around people who adore each other. It’s a beacon of light in a dark world that two souls found each other and so comfortably nestled together.

And after creating that happy couple we are so fond of I then put them in awful situations and see how they overcome them. To see how far they will go for that love.

Bellwoar: Where did the idea to create collages to show Linnea and Parker’s pasts come from, and what made you decide to have Linnea narrate those sections over Parker?

Starks: The montage pages were 100% from the mind of the incomparable and incredible series artist Fran Galán. I had written out, as writers do, a series of panels with captions and he converted them those incredible pages. It’s a case in point of the value of both a great artist and a great collaboration.

Bellwoar: Were you inspired by Sherlock Holmes at all, when coming up with how to portray Linnea’s gifts for observation?

Starks: No but I can see where that line could be drawn. “Detective Noticing Things Well” is a hallmark if not lynchpin of the mystery genre.  She’s a good detective but she isn’t supernatural in her skills.  She just knows what to look for and how to find it. 

Bellwoar: By not accepting murder or kidnapping cases Linnea and Parker are already limiting themselves, but they also turn down a client for being an “asshole.” Can they afford to be so selective?

Starks: Linnea and Parker primarily take on Insurance Fraud and Infidelity cases and a lot of infidelity and a lot of scammers out there. Those two type cases are the most common real life/real world cases that a private detective agency take on.

Also, if we really wanted to dive into the possible real world accounting of a fictional story, Parker was a semi-success professional fighter and I suspect he had a pretty good savings account before they moved to Jamesport to start the agency.

Bellwoar: How did you land on the idea to have Parker’s love language be giving gifts?

Starks: Parker is a doter. He dotes on Linnea because he adores her.  And she gives him gifts too – I think it’s part of their charming rapport, a little bit they do for each other. An in joke. BUT, I would say it is likely his primary love language and I bet hers is either physical touch or acts of service.

Bellwoar: Do you enjoy drawing fight sequences and is it fun, coming up with corny lines for Parker to say in those action moments?

Starks: I personally love drawing a fight scene!  I love choreographing them and I hope Fran likes drawing them because there are a bunch more coming. Maybe the only thing I love more than a fight scene is a tough guy one-liner and I think Parker has a great one in the first issue of Pine and Merrimac.

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Kyle!

Pine and Merrimac #1 goes on sale Wednesday January 3rd from BOOM! Studios.