Kat Calamia's New Hero Dynamic in 'Like Father, Like Daughter'

With Kickstarter offering a new way for writers and artists to build an audience, we've seen a lot of people looking at traditional comic styles in off-kilter ways --- especially superheroes, because of the way they dominate the genre. Kat Calamia and Wayne A. Brown are the creative team for a superhero story that is trying something different and interesting.

Like Father, Like Daughter is running a Kickstarter for its second issue. It tells the story of Casey, a young girl whose father is the most powerful and beloved superhero in the world. But he's also the man who walked out on her family when she was just a baby. While trying to reconcile her hatred for a man who everybody else loves, she finds that she's inherited his power set. That's when things start to get really complicated.

It's a neat concept, and one that seems to be picking up a fanbase. ComicsAlliance spoke to Calamia about how the series came about, and her experiences with crowdfunding.

ComicsAlliance: What’s the basic premise of your story?

Kat Calamia: Like Father, Like Daughter is about a teenage girl named Casey Ryder. She is your average high school student, except for the fact that her father left her at a young age to become a full time superhero. Invulnerable is the only superhero in the world so everyone loves him, but Casey knows his true colors. In the first issue of Like Father, Like Daughter Casey inherits her father's abilities. So now she has become her own worst enemy.

CA: What was the genesis of the project? How long have you wanted to get this comic up and running?

KC: Like Father, Like Daughter started out as a screenplay I wrote for a college course. About a year ago I decided I wanted to turn the screenplay into a comic book. The story had the same elements as a comic and was very easy to convert.

I am a comic book critic on YouTube, Comic Uno. So, I decided to make a video on my channel looking for an artist for my book. Short Fuse Media responded back and said they had the perfect artist in mind --- Wayne A. Brown. Short Fuse Media become the publisher for the series and we worked together to get the Kickstarter ready for the first issue. We had a successful Kickstarter with 100 backers and making over $6,000.

CA: What was it about this story which made you want to tell it? Why this particular premise?

KC: With Like Father, Like Daughter I wanted to poke fun at superhero tropes, but at the same time tell a grounded story about father and daughter. I think there are a lot of people out there that can relate to this book.

CA: How did Wayne come onboard the series? What were you looking for from the art?

KC: When I first talked to Short Fuse Media, they asked me what type of art style I wanted for the book and I told them I wanted an art style that really showcased facial expressions. They showed me Wayne's art style and I thought it was the perfect fit for the story we were telling in Like Father, Like Daughter.

CA: How have you found the creative process thus far, as collaboration?

KC: It's been really cool collaborating with Wayne and Short Fuse Media. Short Fuse Media are really great at the business side of comics and they have given so many great ideas to promote the book.

Wayne and I have been collaborating more for the second issue of Like Father, Like Daughter. We talk through Facebook and most recently did a Google Live show together. This helps us pick each other brains and learn about each others creative process.

I really couldn't have asked for a better team for this project!

CA: Why take this to Kickstarter?

KC: Kickstarter has become such a great platform for indie creators to fund our projects. It helps the creators to really connect to the fans. The fans are able to contribute to the project and we are able to give cool gifts to the people who support us. It really makes the process of creating an indie comic into a community of sorts through Kickstarter.

CA: What stage are you at with the project? How much have you already completed?

KC: I have the whole first arc plotted out --- and trust me, there are a lot of twist and turns to come that I don't think fans are going to expect.

Right now for the comic book I have four issues fully scripted, and about eight issues plotted out. But every day I am coming up with even more ideas for the series.

CA: If you achieve your goal, what’s your estimated delivery on the final comic?

KC: We plan to have the comic book delivered to Kickstarter contributors in November. And then from there we are going to start selling issue #2 online and start planning the Kickstarter for issue #3.

Like Father, Like Daughter will run on Kickstarter until Monday 12 October 2015, aiming for a target of $4,500. If you'd like to know more, you can find the Kickstarter page here.