Kickstarting Comics: Discussing ‘Sh*tkickers’ With Joey Esposito And Andrea Schiavone

Writer Joey Esposito and artist Andrea Schiavone are collaborators on the comic Shi*kickers. They are going to be crowdfunding the publishing of this comic on the website Zoop. Among Esposito’ prior creative credits is The Pedestrian (2024) and Sesame Street #1 (2024). While Schiavone is responsible for Gangsters Versus Nazis #1 and #2 (2024).

Benjamin Hall: Why Dylan Jax for a lead in terms of both his personality and name

Joey Esposito: There’s nothing cool to reveal about his name, I just thought it sounded good. But as far as Dylan as the lead goes, the intention was to have a kind of typical hotshot young stud like Riggs in Lethal Weapon or Axel in Beverly Hills Cop, except way less competent and in it for personal glory rather than any real sense of duty to protect and serve. The point of this book is to explore how deeply rooted institutions, particularly law enforcement, are not inherently the good guys just because they’re on the side of “the law.” Any entity that operates carte blanche with no oversight from anyone but themselves is going to be rotten to the core. But, you know, with dick jokes.

Andrea Schiavone: As Joey’s just said, Dylan’s base naivety offers a unique inside look at corrupted institutions. He’s in the CPB (Cosmic Protection Bureau, basically dick Green Lantern Corps!) because he’s been taught that’s where he should be, that that’s both his manifest destiny and the best career option he’s ever going to get. He’s been promised adventure, action and unconditional love from the public but has he ever questioned the stories (truly, the propaganda) he’s been brought up with?

Hall: The Jump Street films see mention in the solicitation. Does this mean that you are possibly going for a lot of low-hanging jokes and/or meta-humor?

Esposito: I don’t know if it’s low-hanging but there is plenty of conversation about blasting dicks off. If you consider that low-hanging, that’s fair! But really, the inspiration is in the crude humor and silliness juxtaposed with a story about friendship inside a cartoonish world.

Schiavone: I mean, I contributed with quite a few low-hanging jokes every here and there. Just pay attention to those backgrounds: you never know what you may find in there!

Hall: Is any inspiration coming from past day job experiences?

Esposito: I’ve never been a space cop, but I have had jobs that are mundane to the point of meditation, which I think is kind of where we find Skizz, Dylan’s new partner, when we meet her in issue #1. She’s been stuffed down into The Bowels of The Precinct, the home base of the Cosmic Protection Bureau, minding a giant squid and doing paperwork.

Schiavone: You lied to me, Joey — you said you knew all about being a space cop!

In all seriousness though, more than from past day jobs inspiration for me came from a millennial’s realization that parents’ promises and expectations sometimes mean shit, especially with the current state of the world. This book is therapy for its artist, in some twisted way.

Hall: Would you say Jax is a bigger danger to himself due to his cockiness than any foes he faces?

Esposito: Absolutely. He’s a complete idiot. The CPB does not have high standards.

Schiavone: For all his big talk and bravado Dylan couldn’t be the farthest away from this big action hero he fashions himself to be. He can come off as a bit of a dick, but deep down he’s a good kid. He’s a decent shot, though — we should at least give him that.

Hall: What makes this a different creative experience for you versus past work?

Esposito: Shitkickers was spawned as a kind of challenge to myself when another comic creator told me my work was “too sentimental.” I am a sentimental writer but it kind of pissed me off, so I vowed to create something that was anti-sentiment. But you’ll see as the series goes on that I couldn’t keep it out completely. But also, this was a great collaboration between myself and Andrea. We didn’t know each other before working on the book, but we became fast friends and the designs he came up with for the world are so imaginative and fun, there are things that became plot points that I hadn’t considered previously just because of how he drew something, it sparked new ideas in different directions.

Schiavone: Joey had me at “Starship Troopers meets Green Lantern”, really, but while I went into this looking at a potential new book to pitch around what I came out with is a great friend and collaborator. No idea’s ever too stupid, no design’s too far out for it not to be worked into the book itself somehow. It’s been a fun, rewarding experience all round, and I’m grateful for having been given the chance to be a part of it.

Hall: Why use Zoop as a way to crowdfund and publish this comic

Esposito: Originally this book was set up at a publisher that wasn’t somebody you want to be in business with. Luckily, we were able to get our rights back and do this on our own, under my own little imprint called Soup Dad Comics. Soup Dad is all about the joy of being creative, making cool shit with your friends, and not worrying about the rest.

As for Zoop specifically, I really like what they are doing for indie creators. For years on social media I watched artist Jason Copland work on his incredible mega epic FULL TILT, and it was on Zoop where it became a physical reality. Watching that journey unfold and hearing Jason’s positive feedback on the Zoop experience was what sold me. Plus, crowdfunding is very hard and tedious and I don’t enjoy it, so it’s great to have the Zoop crew to help!

Hall: Thanks to Joey Esposito and Andrea Schiavone for their time and answers! One can find the campaign for Shitkickers at zoop.