Ahead of the 2025 San Diego Comic Con, Glitch Productions, home of “The Gaslight District,” and the “Amazing Digital Circus,” announced a collaboration with Oni Press for a comic adaptation of their other popular property “Murder Drones,” written by comic veteran Wyatt Kennedy and Illustrated by talented artist Jo Mi-Gyeong.
Murder Drones
Created by writer/director Liam Vickers and produced by Glitch co-founders Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul, MURDER DRONES premiered in 2021 to immediate acclaim. It became the first Glitch series to achieve tens of millions of views per episode and earned two Webby Awards for Best Animated Video. The series quickly gained a devoted global fanbase that eagerly follows its development and growing lore.
Wyatt Kennedy
Recently, in advance of its Kickstarter Launch, we caught up with writer Wyatt Kennedy to discuss his creative beginnings, his work with Image Comics and this exciting adaptation. So, let’s welcome Wyatt Kennedy to GVN Talking Comics.
Writing Beginnings
GVN: Thank you for spending a bit of your day with us, Wyatt. Since this is our first chance to talk, let’s start with your creative beginnings. When did you first take an interest in writing, and whose works inspired you to pursue that opportunity?
Wyatt: I don’t think I ever actually considered writing as any kind of serious profession until after I graduated high school. I originally wanted to be a director, but eventually my interest gravitated towards screenwriting, mostly because I loved reading scripts by Shane Black, Spike Jonze, and others. You just kind of fall into it, I guess.
Working with Image Comics
GVN: Your first comic was Bolero for Image Comics, illustrated by Luana Vecchio. Was Image the only publisher you pitched this story to, and were you at all surprised at what all went into getting that first book published?
Wyatt: Bolero’s production history is painfully unremarkable, haha! I think a lot of people have the stories of working their way up the system, writing shorter comics before getting that “big break”, but I’m in a very (some could say stupidly) lucky category. I wrote the series, contacted Luana, she started designing the characters and the beautiful look of the book, we pitched it to Image I think on a Friday evening, and the following Monday I woke up to the email that it’d been accepted. I never seriously considered taking it anywhere besides Image where all of my creator owned work lives, but I think my biggest surprise was just how quickly it all happened.
Value of Social Media
GVN: Like many creators, you make a concentrated effort to interact with your fans on social media (via Bluesky, Instagram, and Substack). What are the benefits of that interaction, and do you feel it is time well spent as far as getting your work out there?
Wyatt: I have very complicated feelings about the perceived value of social media for comic creators. I think it’s a wonderful tool for illustrators since these are all platforms that engage with visual mediums, but for writers I think less so. To be honest, if it weren’t for plugging my work and using it as a tool to scout for artists, I probably wouldn’t be on social media at all. I don’t think a follower count translates to sales, and there’s a lot of internalized pressure I think it puts on creators for no good reason. I do genuinely enjoy communicating with fans who appreciate the work by my talented team but in a lot of ways I’m very hands off.
Working on ‘Murder Drones’
GVN: Let’s discuss the exciting collaboration between Oni Press and Glitch Productions on the comic adaptation of the popular series “Murder Drones.” You were selected to contribute your writing skills to this project alongside artist Jo Mi-Gyeong. How did this opportunity arise, and were you familiar with the series before getting involved?
Wyatt: I’d been vaguely aware of Murder Drones and Glitch, mostly because of the inescapable success of The Amazing Digital Circus. When Oni reached out to me, I think the thing that interested me the most was working with a company on their own brand. My current Image ongoing series NIGHTS has had a television adaptation in the works for over a year now, and it’s taught me a lot about how to handle someone else playing with your toys, so to speak. I think I really wanted to know what that was like on the other side, and it’s certainly been a very educational experience.
Collaborating with Jo Mi-Gyeong
GVN: Have you ever worked with Jo Mi-Gyeong previously, and if not, what was that partnership like?
Wyatt: I’m incredibly hands off with Jo’s work. I think my job really begins and ends at providing them with as much clarity in the script for each panel since the original show is very busy and deliberately chaotic.
Kickstarter: “You Tell Me, Man…I Only Work Here.”
GVN: Murder Drones is heading to Kickstarter in September. Are you familiar with crowdfunding? If so, what can fans expect to find when visiting this upcoming campaign?
Wyatt: To quote James Cameron’s Aliens, “You tell me man, I only work here.” I’m not privy to any of that, haha! I’m sure what Oni and Glitch have in store for their fans will definitely excite them, and I’m definitely curious what they’ve got planned.
Upcoming Projects
GVN: You caught my attention with the “Aliens” quote. Great job! Thank you again, Wyatt, for visiting us. Before we wrap up, I’d like to give you one final opportunity to discuss this exciting project and any other upcoming projects you may have.
Wyatt: I’m incredibly grateful to Oni and Glitch for being able to work on such an interesting and exciting project, and I hope that fans of the series will love the final result! Right now, I’m just working on my aforementioned Image series NIGHTS which returns in October with issue 16, and my first series for Marvel, Wiccan: Witches Road debuts in December.
Oni Press / Glitch Productions Murder Drones: The Official Graphic Novel is now on Kickstarter. You can check out the campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/onipress/murder-drones?ref=9dynek
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.
