Back in the ’80s, Rich Hedden and Tom McWeeney stumbled upon a novel idea for a comic: futuristic exterminator. More specifically, Roachmill, which ran 16 issues from late 1986 to winter 1990, follows the passage of the Extermination Act, in which folks were given license to deal with a rash of “alien-related situations.” (Read: Murder and mayhem galore.) The book, which debuted via Blackthorne Publishing before later moving to Dark Horse Comics, was a gem among weird ’80 sci-fi, a truly self-aware story that rallied against the xenophobia of the time with endless wit and extreme action galore.
In fact, the series is so lauded that it’s being re-released by It’s Alive, with a Kickstarter campaign having launched in late May. (As of publication, they’ve hit over $4,200 of their $5,000 goal, with the campaign ending June 25.) The project will collect the series’ first six issues, alongside a suite of variant covers, including those from Richard Pace, Dan Christensen, and Nicolás Giacondino. Contributors have the option to grab six single issues or a bound collection — either way, they’re high-quality reproductions (a specialty of It’s Alive!)
We were lucky enough to touch base recently with McWeeney to talk about the book and the Kickstarter campaign. Topics included his reasons for re-releasing Roachmill, the series’ larger cultural impact, and his personal highlights/favorite moments.
If you’re interested, you can contribute to the campaign here.
AIPT: What’s the elevator pitch for Roachmill?
Tom McWeeney: It would be a variation on the the Roachmill television ad we featured in Roachmill #4. “Need an exterminator to handle those rats? Pesky roaches ruining your sleep? Maybe Grandma’s getting on your nerves? Call Roachmill Pest Control and we’ll get the job done!”
AIPT: What was the appeal to re-release this book? Why do you think it’s still so vital?
TW: The appeal for Rich and I is just seeing it out there again. Although our last Roachmill story was published 23 years ago, the character is still dear to us. Rich and I were both 20 years old when we started working on Roachmill #1, we were kids, really. Now we’re in our mid 50’s and feel if Roachmill is going to get one last chance it has to be now. We’re not getting any younger. I also think that the 80’s so-called “Black and White Boom,” though short-lived, is an important part of comic’s history and needs to be preserved. The industry was really hungry for content in a way it had never been prior and yet still small enough that a no-name could walk up to a publisher, pitch an idea and be working on it the following week. Today, even smaller comic companies are corporate enough that something like that will never happen again. It was kind of an amazing time for comic creators.
Courtesy of It’s Alive!
AIPT: How does the book compare or rank in terms of similar ‘80s titles? I feel like there was lots of weird sci-fi from that era, but Roachmill felt different.
TW: Roachmill felt different because it WAS different. It was completely untethered to any kind of editorial restraint, for good or bad. It was whatever Rich and I wanted it to be, issue to issue, so it has a kind of crazy DYI energy. We never felt the need to make every Roachmill story fit a standard tone, or style and there was no one to tell us otherwise. If we felt like breaking the fourth wall, or having Batman or Robocop show up we’d just do it. It was free-range comics
AIPT: What are some current series and/or graphic novels that maybe have a similar feel or flavor to help orient readers?
TW: The best comparison I can make to Roachmill is the film District 9. While, I would never say that “District 9” is a rip-off of Roachmill, because it’s not, I’d bet the farm that Neil Blomkamp read Roachmill at some point. There are too many similar ideas and themes. I see a lot of Roachmill in Deadpool too. The zaniness of the character is straight from Zoo-Lou, a rival exterminator who is essentially a living cartoon character. The cover of Roachmill #3 for example, has Zoo-Lou vandalizing the cover to mock Roachmill, indicating he’s self-aware and knows they all exist inside a comic book. John Byrne started doing similar things in She-Hulk three years after we first did it in Roachmill.
Courtesy of It’s Alive!
AIPT: What do folks get if they contribute to the Kickstarter?
TW: The initial campaign offers the first six issues, individually with new variant covers from guys like Richard Pace, Jay Fossgitt, Nicolas Giacondino, among others. It also offers a signed hardbound collection that will have some extras. The most important thing to Roachmill fans is that, if the campaign is successful, we will do a second and third volume reprinting the Dark Horse issues, which have never been reprinted before AND, Rich and I have been discussing the inclusion of some new material in later volumes. But, all of that all hinges on the success of this first campaign.
AIPT: Do you have a favorite cover (or covers)? Perhaps one that might speak to the series and also its revival?
TW: My favorite cover is the one we did for the first Dark Horse collection. It’s 20 straight-on headshots of Roachmill, all drawn in different styles, with different media. That cover not only reflects the ever-shifting nature of the book, but captured, unintentionally, the way Rich and I were in our early 20’s. We were just so excited about art, whether that was comics or cartoons, or films, or books, everything was our cocaine, so we threw everything into that cover.
Courtesy of It’s Alive!
AIPT: Do you have a favorite moment or panel from the book?
TW: I do actually. In Roachmill #5 (Dark Horse) there’s a single page where Roachmill is on the streets looking for information. The way Rich designed that page is brilliant. It’s five separate panels but it also reads as one big splash. It’s the only page from the series I regret selling.
AIPT: The book is pretty satirical in terms of its treatment of violence. Does that satire seem especially valuable to our current extra weird times?
TW: This is a great question. For years my reason for NOT revisiting Roachmill was that what started off as a parody of grim, violent comics and to a lesser degree, our national obsession with guns, now seems less funny because it is closer to reality then either of us ever imagined back in 1986. But, I was talking to a friend who said that’s all the more reason to reprint it. It shows that what was once clearly, over-the-top satire has now become normalized. It acts as a mirror to reflect how things have shifted.
Courtesy of It’s Alive!
AIPT: Why should anyone contribute to the Kickstarter?
TW: Why should anyone contribute to any Kickstarter campaign? Because they want to see it happen.
AIPT: What’s the future hold for Roachmill?
TW: The response to the Kickstarter, in particularly from comic book professionals who were fans when they were younger, has been overwhelming and has Rich and I talking new material. Whether that happens or not will depend solely on the campaign. If we feel there’s enough interest we’ll do some short stories for later volumes and perhaps some full issues down the road. Stand-alone stories in the Roachmill universe that will flesh things out. It’s still a fun sandbox to play in.
The main cover below is by Tom McWeeney
The following variant covers come courtesy of Richard Pace, Jay Fosgitt, Rich Hedden and Tom McWeeney, and Dan Christensen
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.