Kevin Shinick’s career is filled with as much breadth and depth as a world-spanning mystery. From winning award for his scripting on Robot Chicken to writing comics to voicing iconic pop culture characters, Shinick is a veritable Swiss Army knife of creativity. Folks growing up in the 1990’s also probably recognize Shinick as the host of the popular PBS series Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego?, entertaining and teaching a whole generation of inquisitive kids and teens (and adults!) about the winding road of history.
Kevin Shinick is taking all of these interconnected pieces of his own history and applying them to his newest comic project Host Mortem, now funding on Kickstarter through Clover Press. Described by Shinick as parts L.A. Confidential and The In-Laws, with some of The Big Sleep added for good measure, Host Mortem follows Shinick and Greg Lee (who hosted Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?) as they find their lives tied into a mystery connected to the latter classic noir movie.
I spoke with Mr. Shinick recently about the idea behind Host Mortem, how his time with Carmen Sandiego impacts this project, working with the creative team, and how his long career in entertainment has culminated, in many ways, in this graphic novel.
I was in my very early teens when the original Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? and Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? series were in their heyday and my nerdy, social studies-loving self was enamored of all the geography and history the show bestowed upon viewers. Honestly, it’s probably part of the reason I’m both a writer and a social studies teacher. Coupled with my love of noir and comics and this book is right up my alley. I’m willing to bet that lovers of movies and mystery will be enticed by Host Mortem like a siren’s song of sleuthing and solving whodunnits.
Check out covers for Host Mortem peppered throughout the interview, including art from Kelley Jones, Tony Foti, TImothy Anderson, and Damien Torres!
Host Mortem by Kelley Jones
FreakSugar: I was talking about the conceit of Host Mortem to a colleague and I smiled more and more as I got further along in my explanation. It’s so madcap and kitchen-sink in the best way. What was the genesis of the graphic novel?
Kevin Shinick: I’m so glad you think so, because I’ve had such a great time creating it. Originally, I had this idea for a noir-murder mystery that I intended as a TV pilot. And while everyone seemed to like the script, I kept hearing it would be a hard sell because it was a period piece. Someone suggested I turn it into a graphic novel because of my comic book background, but I also know there are plenty of noir-murder mystery graphic novels out there already. So I kept asking myself, what can I do that will break through all the noise? What’s something that’s unique to me, that only I can deliver? And that’s when it dawned on me that I had played myself as a time travelling detective on Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? And along with that came the fun of adding time travel, trivia, hosting, humor and homicide. So while I pretty much rewrote that original TV pilot from scratch, that’s the journey of Host Mortem, the story of two fake detective game show hosts from the 1990’s who have to solve a series of real murders in the 1940’s.
FS: Speaking of the conceit of the book, how would you describe Host Mortem?
KS: I usually describe it as L.A. Confidential meets The In-Laws, because once I had the conceit of the book, I knew I had to include Greg Lee who had played himself as a classic 1940’s gumshoe detective on Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? since that was the time period my time-travelling persona takes us to. And the funny thing is, even though our shows aired right after one another back in the nineties, Greg and I had never met until about five years ago. Even then it was just a quick hello and an exchange of numbers. So I’m sure Greg was as surprised to hear from me in real life as he was in the graphic novel when I approached him and said we’ve got to travel to the past.
Host Mortem cover by Tony Foti
FS: What can you tell us about who we will meet in the book?
KS: The funny thing about the 1990’s is that there was no shortage of mystery solving television hosts. Blue’s Clues, Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? Figure It Out! Cluedo! The list goes on and on! And since our story begins at Comic Con, I can guarantee you’ll see a familiar face or two. In fact, I had originally thought of including more hosts in the plot, but ultimately felt there was enough story with just Greg and I as we attempt to solve a murder mystery that involves the classic film noir, The Big Sleep. So if you’re a fan of 1940’s films you’ll probably recognize some faces from that time period as well. But the great thing I’ve discovered in real life is that I know A LOT of TV hosts, and ALL of them were excited by this idea so there’s no telling where I’ll go next or who will be involved.
FS: You’ve had a long and varied career. How has that informed how you approach Host Mortem? Does working on a comic hit creative strings for you that other media don’t?
KS: Absolutely! I’ve often said that collaborating on a comic book is probably one of the most intimate relationships you can have in this business. There are fewer people involved in the process and the script winds up being a direct correspondence between you and the artist(s) involved. Plus, certain projects tell you what they need to be. As I mentioned, this idea started out as a TV pilot, but once the pieces started to fall into place, I felt it would be a shame if the imagery I had in mind didn’t jump off the pages of a graphic novel. And in many ways, I feel my varied career, as you say, has culminated in this graphic novel. Having run the gamut of writing for unique detectives over years (Carmen Sandiego, Batman, Scooby-Doo, The Mike Tyson Mysteries, and then full circle with Carmen Sandiego again) it makes me think this has become a life’s calling.
Host Mortem cover by Timothy Anderson
FS: Following up on that, what’s been your favorite part of working on the project so far?
KS: So much! The work that my creative team is delivering to bring this story to life has been a real joy. But I have to say, my favorite part has been crafting what I promise will be a really great murder mystery. The humor, the trivia and the whole meta-take of it all is really just icing on the cake. As a big fan of murder mysteries, I know that at its core this has to be a great story for readers to appreciate it. Plus the Carmen Sandiego fans who grew up with Greg and I are older now so I know they’ll be looking for more adult fare. And I feel we’re delivering on that.
FS: What has the collaboration been like with Damien Torres and Andrea Schiavone? What is your process?
KS: The bulk of my work was done when I decided to hire these amazing artists. Like a good casting director, once you get the perfect person in there the rest is easy. My artists Damien Torres (Marvel Crisis Protocol) and Andrea Schiavone (Gangsters versus Nazis), my colorist Pippa Bowland (Judge Dredd, Project Cryptid) and my letterer Taylor Esposito (Red Hood and The Outlaws) have all really raised the bar with their work on this one. Not to mention Clover Press has decided to publish the book, so my vision of this being more than just an awesome mystery but also a great work of art seems to be coming to fruition. But one thing I’ve done to keep it interesting is I’ve not shared who the murderer is with the artists just yet, so they’ve been creating this in real time just like the reader will be experiencing it. I did this for fun, but also as a safety because I know Greg Lee can’t keep a secret.
Host Mortem cover by Damien Torres
FS: On to the Kickstarter itself, what can you tell us about the campaign?
KS: One of the reasons I decided to crowdfund this book through Kickstarter is that I find myself heading to Kickstarter on Mondays just as often as I hit my local comic shop on Wednesdays. I’ve gotten to know the community and I feel I understand the give and take of it all over there. That being said, I’ve had a blast creating rewards that I think backers won’t be able to find any place else. Yes, there will be the usual rewards of being able to be drawn into the comic or murdered in the story as well as original comic book art from the book, but as I did with creating this story, I asked myself, what can I offer that no one else can? As a result, I’m offering the chance to meet Greg and I either in a video, on zoom or in person. As a voice artist who works a lot (Robot Chicken, MAD, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble) I’m offering the chance to have me do narration for someone else’s project, to read and offer pointers on someone else’s script and to give away some one-of-a-kind memorabilia from my personal Robot Chicken, MAD, comic book and Star Wars collections.
FS: What are you reading right now?
KS: At the moment, I’m reading Anthony Horowitz’s Sherlock Holmes book Moriarity. I’m a big fan of his work and while it seems almost too on-the-nose that I’m reading that at the moment – (I did confess that I’m a big murder mystery fan, remember? In fact, I will never get over the fact that Sue Grafton’s alphabet series ends with Y) – I did also just finish reading Cher’s biography – Part One – which was a great read as well.
FS: Do you have any other projects you’re working on you’d like to discuss?
KS: The funny thing about 2025 is that it’s shaping up to be the year of the Host for me. Call it manifestation or call it luck, but after I started writing Host Mortem, I got cast as the ultimate TV host, Dick Clark (American Bandstand, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, $25,000 Pyramid, to name a few) in the upcoming Michael Jackson movie, Michael. It’s a great film directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer) and stars Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew, Jafar as Michael. That’s scheduled to come out October 3rd of this year. So I like to point out that when you back Host Mortem you’re not only getting the chance to have the book signed by Kevin Shinick the writer, but also Kevin Shinick the actor, not to mention, Kevin Shinick, Cher-enthusiast.
FS: If you had one final pitch for the book, what would it be?
KS: I don’t usually like to over-sell anything, but with the work that my creative team is putting into Host Mortem, I can guarantee that this is going to be something you’ll want in your collection. Especially if you’re a fan of murder mysteries, game shows, trivia, time travel, film noir or just graphic novels. (How’s that for not over-selling?) And if anything I’ve mentioned here today interests you then I suggest following us for free on Kickstarter or at www.HostMortem.com. I’ve also created a creative advice column called Game Show Gumshoe over at KevinShinick.Substack.com or you can follow me across all social media @KevinShinick. In the meantime, my only other advice is to never trust a guy who talks like Peter Lorre.
One day into the Kickstarter and the campaign for Host Mortem! has already hit its initial funding goal! If you’re a fan of 1990’s game shows and/or detective mysteries, this Kickstarter is well worth your time. Mr. Shinick is talented creator and if his enthusiasm in this interview doesn’t convince you, check out the campaign page and that’s sure to hook you!
From the official press release for the Kickstarter:
Kevin Shinick used to have all the answers. Before he was an acclaimed comic writer on titles like W.E.B. of Spider-Man and The Flash, before he was an Emmy Award-winning writer on Robot Chicken, before he was a bestselling novelist (Star Wars: Force Collector), before he was an Annie award-winning producer (MAD), Kevin Shinick had all the answers — as the TV gameshow host of Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? Now Shinick is writing Host Mortem, an all-new tongue-in-cheek, time travel metafiction mystery in which he appears (as himself!), along with Greg Lee (the host of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?). When the two former gameshow hosts are transported to the year 1947 by a time portal at Comic-Con, they find themselves enmeshed in a murder mystery involving Humphrey Bogart’s legendary noir film The Big Sleep. When one of the stars winds up dead, Kevin and Greg’s knowledge of random trivia might be the key to solving this Hollywood caper. The graphic novel is now on Kickstarter.
“Between the two of us, Greg and I have hosted a number of game shows,” says Shinick. “As a result, we have a lot of random trivia floating around in our heads and I always wished I could put that knowledge to better use other than just, “Hey, did you know the singular of spaghetti is spaghetto?” And since we both played fake detectives on Carmen Sandiego (me a time traveling detective and Greg a classic gumshoe detective) I got to wondering how we might fare with an actual murder? The ultimate question being, “Are hosts really smart? Or do they just have the answers?”
This one-of-a-kind thriller is illustrated by Damien Torres (Marvel Crisis Protocol) and Andrea Schiavone (Gangsters Versus Monsters), colored by Pippa Bowland (Judge Dredd, Project Cryptid), and lettered by Taylor Esposito (Red Hood and The Outlaws). The 180-page graphic novel will be told in four chapters from four different characters’ point of view. Kevin Shinick, Greg Lee, their fast-talking receptionist, and a surprise mystery narrator will guide readers through the epic, time travel adventure. Each chapter will have a distinct look and will be available collected in a gorgeous slipcase drawn by Jesse Larson (Hades Speaks!). Host Mortem is being crowdfunded on Kickstarter and will be released by Clover Press, the publisher behind acclaimed graphic novels, art books and novels including The Marvel Art Of line of books, Ricardo Delgado’s Dracula, Spawn Till You Die: The Fin Art of Ray Troll, and Craig Yoe’s Woman & Man+. Kickstarter tiers include original art from the book, critical evaluation of work-in-progress comic books, offers of voice over narration on your next animated project, and striking covers by from beloved Batman and Dracula: The Impaler artist Kelley Jones, Tony Foti, Timothy Anderson, and Damien Torres. Kickstarter tiers include original art from the book, critical evaluation of work-in-progress comic books, offers of voice over narration on your next animated project, and striking covers by Jones, Foti, Anderson, and Torres.
“I think what Kevin’s come up with is simply brilliant and it continues to be a blast just getting to be a small part of it,” says Greg Lee. “With his hilarious and nuanced writing I actually feel I’ve spent time in 1947. Why I didn’t buy some potential stock or at least win an Oscar pool while I was there is beyond me. Instead, Kevin puts me in the middle of a murder scene and expects me to rely on my game show trivia to help him solve the crime. But the real crime is that we don’t know the first thing about being detectives so it’ll probably come down to something random like knowing Humphrey Bogart’s middle name. (It was DeForest, by the way. A fact I know because I’m a game show host and not a detective!) Luckily, Kevin’s a great friend and a talented writer, so this project is nothin’ but “win-win-and more win” for me and, if I’m being honest, for all our backers and readers.”
“Working on Host Mortem has been the biggest and most rewarding story of my career so far,” says artist Damien Torres. “Comics has been my dream, but film is my first love, and I’ve been afforded the opportunity to bring that love into this graphic novel. As someone who is a fan of the likes of Sean Phillips, Greg Smallwood, Lee Weeks, David Mazzucchelli, and Alex Toth to name a few, channeling the use of heavy black has been key to nailing the noir tone. Researching the 1940s and grounding the scenes with iconic LA landmarks has helped bring pages to life, and I’ve worked to make that authenticity show through in each panel. Watching a good number of Bogart and Bacall films hasn’t hurt one bit either. I’d be remiss in not mentioning how fun and thorough Kevin Shinick’s writing is, and an honor it’s been to work with someone who happened to play a part in my childhood!”