Indie Edge September 2015: Christopher Hastings

This month’s featured creator is Christopher Hastings.

Christopher, please tell us a bit about yourself!

I'm the creator of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, a long-running webcomic with collections published by Dark Horse, and I'm currently writing the Adventure Time ongoing series with BOOM! I live in Brooklyn with my wife, Carly Monardo, and dog, Commissioner Gordon.

I've been writing and drawing Dr. McNinja for 10 years now, and I'm quite proud of how far it's come. The first comics were literally homework assignments I did in art school. It was the first opportunity I got to say, "Oh, comics can be funny, and can still have muscly people hit each other too." It's a very indulgent mix of the jokes I want to write, and the explosions I want to draw.

What are your favorite projects you’ve contributed to over the past decade?

I wrote Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe, and a smattering of Deadpool comics.

New and Classic Titles by David Petersen:

• The Adventures of Dr. McNinja Omnibus (FEB130037)
• Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe (FEB140855)
• Deadpool: The Ones With Deadpool (NOV140877)

What are you currently working on?

I'm still working on Dr. McNinja, but it's the last story, so I'm looking to wrap up all the loose ends, and go bonkers on an appropriately fun and exciting finale! I'm also writing the Adventure Time ongoing with Zachary Sterling on art. It's a real privilege to get to watch the show and say, "Oh, it would be neat if X element got explored a little bit further. Oh. That's MY job. Cool, I will do that. Peppermint Butler has a spy agency and King of Ooo runs a pyramid scheme with a kingdom of bears! IT IS DECIDED."

What fun titles are you reading?

Giant Days (Vol. 1—AUG151215): John Allison has been writing and drawing stories in his whimsical and mysterious alternate universe “Great Britain” since roughly 1870, which is impressive because to look at him, he is clearly a 16-year-old boy. I suspect he has one of those magical "youth portraits" in his attic somewhere. Artist Lissa Treiman breathes a whole new life into the hilarious and lovable characters with an expressiveness that sends me into a rage of envy.

The Midas Flesh (Vol. 1—OCT141163): What's the logical conclusion to the story of King Midas? Why, every molecule on Earth is turned to gold, and thousands of years later, the recovered remains of King Midas threaten life across the galaxy as a weapon of mass destruction. AND IT'S FUNNY, TOO. Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb have been a collaborative force for good since they originally were together on Adventure Time, and it's awesome to see them do their own thing just as well!

Achewood (Vol. 1—MAY080062): Achewood is the funniest thing I've ever read (sorry, other books I just mentioned)! The collections are available from Dark Horse, and you should read them — or live your life in a slightly grayer world. I miss Chris Onstad's comics on a regular basis, but honestly he did more than we deserve in these books, and he should be able to retire in peace if that's what he wants.