During my time with GVN, I have had the pleasure of talking to many great creators in all kinds of different genres. But when it comes to intelligence with a free-flowing wit that just bounces off the page, I would be hard pressed to find anyone who can top Ahoy Comics EIC Tom Peyer. Besides ram-rodding a brilliant collection of titles that increase with each passing month, Tom finds the time to write his share as well as spread the gospel that is Ahoy. He does so with a sense of humor that reminds me often of Marvel’s iconic Stan Lee.
Therefore, when given another opportunity to pick Tom’s brain, I pulled out the utensils and feasted away. (That sounds very Edgar Allan Poe-ish, doesn’t it?) In this case, that opportunity was the release of the TPB of Ahoy’s popular anthology Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death. So, let’s welcome once again, Ahoy’s EIC Tom Peyer to GVN’s Talking Comics.
Ahoy EIC Tom Peyer
GVN: Always a pleasure to connect back with the man who stirs the drink and waters it down for those who
need it, Ahoy Comics, EIC Tom Peyer. Thanks for revisiting with us again Tom. You are closing in on
writer Doug Wagner’s record of 5 interviews with us, this being number three. If you had to guess,
what is it about Tom Peyer that makes people seek you out to talk to? Prodigious writing talent?
Willingness to engage? The two dollars you promised?
TP: I will destroy Doug Wagner’s record. My secret? I’m soothing. No one can ever be upset when near me. The precise timbre of my voice, the way my long, curly hair seems to bob in the mild breeze—that’s what people want. That’s what makes them feel safe and glad.
Stories to Choose
GVN: (Laughing) I’m not sure how to follow that. The last time we talked to you, along with fellow writer and friend of Talking Comics Mark Russell, you were in the beginning issue of Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death. Hard to believe that was almost a year ago. The series was once again chock full of great stories, filled with the intelligence, social relevance and a nod and a wink to horror anthologies of the past. Not to mention a willingness to address political satire…a literal “Wolf in a Politician’s Clothing.” Has there ever been a story pitched
for the anthology that you could not see your way clear to include? One only needs to look at Second
Coming and the story behind its publishing to see that courage is in large supply at Ahoy.
TP: I think the only political ideas we’ve turned down were too keyed to the present moment; by the time we could get them drawn, produced, printed, and distributed, the subjects, at least on the surface, would probably be old news and nobody would care anymore. We could guess wrong about that. there’s no way to know what will still feel relevant in six months. But our consuming need not to be boring might make us a little too strict in that regard.
Erasmus Monroe
GVN: The opening Introduction to the TPB is a clever story that sets the tone for the festivities. It also
proves that the best way to make someone go away is to intimate that they owe you money. Who
wrote this…assuming it wasn’t Erasmus Monroe from Baltimore MD in July of 1852?
TP: It WAS written by the harried barkeep Erasmus Monroe and dictated to me at a seance. And I’ll add that I’d never been to one with worse refreshments. I left angry.
GVN: So, I take it the proprietor wasn’t happy with the review you left. But I digress…
Part of the ingredients that make all Ahoy’s Edgar Allan Poe Anthology books so entertaining and different are the wide variations of stories the various creators produce and the way they interject Poe into the story. Particularly highlighted by stories such as “Evermore: The Adventures of Edgar Allan Poe when he was a boy” as written by the venerable Stuart Moore and drawn by Frank Cammuso. Cammuso channeled a brilliant Jeff Smith Bone look. Are all the stories included in the series already complete by the time the first issue sees print or are they written and developed issue to issue? Also, have you had such an abundance of great material that you felt the need to push some into the next anthology or perhaps into their own series? Like Mark Russell and Peter Snejberg’s
Monster Serial?
Portraying Poe
TP: Mark and Peter’s ongoing masterpiece-in-the-making might have new life ahead of it, but at this point I’d be punished for saying too much. When we started, say, Snifter of Death, we probably had most of the material for the six issues but there might have been a couple of art slots yet to be filled. The main thing is to have enough work on hand so that everything ships on time; that’s important to us.
As far as the portrayal of Poe goes, the creators have pretty wide latitude, as long as they don’t make him too much of a winner. Which no one has attempted. We don’t try to make the Poe appearances into a story arc. In fact, most of the creators don’t see each other’s efforts until the book is printed. Which makes me the tremendously important spider at the center of the web, laughing evilly. It’s a nightmare.
New Anthology
GVN: So, with the TPB available just in time for the Spooky Season, has work commenced on the next Poe
Anthology? Following Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror, Snifter of Blood, and Snifter of Death.
Perhaps Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Putrescence? (You can’t go wrong referencing “The Princess
Bride”)
TP: I love Snifter of Putrescence. Thank you. If we end up never using that, I’ll always feel a void. But—and here’s a scoop—we’re developing an anthology for 2023 that has nothing to do with Poe. It has never heard of him. It wouldn’t want to. Besides, it can’t read. You’ll see.
Coming Next
GVN: You have my attention, Sir. So, in closing, I know that Ahoy ALWAYS have something new and unique on the horizon, including another visit with Captain Ginger. What else can fans expect from the creative genius that is Ahoy?
TP: I’m editing a new series of My Bad that’s coming out in November. That’s our very funny, ridiculous, absurd superhero comedy written by Mark Russell and Bryce Ingman and drawn by Peter Krause. In it, our heroes The Chandelier and Rush Hour are joined by the sensational new masked crimefighters Steel Integrity and Good Karen in the hunt for a homicidal pizza delivery worker who’s targeting superheroes. Plus! Each issue’s back pages are crammed with hero profiles, HQ diagrams, and other cheaply thrown- together junk. “Expect more” is more than our motto! It’s our very programming!
GVN: I loved the first season of My Bad. I look forward another fabulous mix of superhero and villainous clashes with an eye to paying homage to the classic comics of the past. It WILL be great.
Look for the TPB of Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death coming September 28, 2022, where all great comics are sold.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
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