Since 2007, C. Spike Trotman’s Iron Circus Comics has been crowdfunding and publishing themed anthologies, many under the guidance of editor Kel McDonald. McDonald’s latest project, Perfect Crime Party, featured a fun prompt for creators — What’s the perfect crime, and what do you think you could get away with?
The result is an anthology packed with talent, containing 25 stories and more than 300 pages. The stories run the gauntlet of genre and settings, from more traditional crime stories to tales of the supernatural to one set in Ancient Greece to one involving Santa Claus. Several of the creators involved agreed to answer a few questions about their stories, and maybe even incriminate themselves in the process.
I’ve included the complete list of contributors at the end, but for today’s rapid-fire round-robin, we have answers/confessions from Amy Chase, Bevan Thomas, Chuck Harp, David Brothers, Illuminated, John Konrad, Kit Mills, Mariah McCourt, Nick Mamatas, Reetta Linjama, Rodrigo Vargas, Tayson Martindale and Van Jensen. You can check out a few sample pages, as well as Jeff Smith’s cover.
So without further ado, let’s plan a crime.
What appealed to you about contributing a story to a light-hearted crime anthology?
Amy Chase: When Iron Circus shared the anthology prompt, I was excited by the opportunity to make the stakes smaller and play with the setting/genre overall. Crime usually has such a gravitas to it; procedurals always feel like they need to wrap up neatly with extremely cerebral solutions. Light-hearted crime felt like a chance to go in and play with the trappings of mysteries, heists and murders while being a little more irreverent about it.
Bevan Thomas: Much of what I write is fantasy or horror, so crime is a little outside my wheelhouse. That said, I always love the challenge of exploring new genres. Also, I was intrigued that the focus would be the fun, light-hearted side of crime, not the serious, violent stuff. It seemed pleasantly unusual.
Chuck Harp: I’ve always been a huge fan of the crime genre, whether that be comics or movies. And the idea of a “light-hearted” anthology presented a hilarious concept I’ve never encountered before. And with that, came a new challenge.
David Brothers: I love crime comics more than most other comics. I’m a straight-up true believer and would love it if the comics industry were suddenly also known for crime comics in particular. This is a fun way to collaborate with my friend Alissa Sallah, and together we made “Polyphonic Funk: My Outlaw Melody.”
Illuminated: I love making people laugh and I love genre fiction in all its forms, so this collection was basically made for me. Being in it is icing on the proverbial cake.
John Konrad: There’s a contradiction in “light-hearted crime” that I think is fun to play with. You can have betrayal and murder, but still have it be funny. High-stakes crime builds tension, and then comedy breaks that tension, so the two genres complement each other despite how different they are.
Kit Mills: I love a low-stakes adventure, and the thrill of a crime story puts a little shot of adrenaline into it. There’s always the tension of wondering if they’ll get away with it, regardless of whether or not the “crime” is actually a prosecutable offense.
Mariah McCourt: Cozy stories are my jam and I’ve loved cozy mysteries since I was a little kid watching Murder She Wrote and Miss Marple with my grandparents. I leapt at the opportunity because it’s a genre I’ve always wanted to tell a story in but never had the chance to.
Nick Mamatas: The possibility of being a little darker! “The Twenty-One Foot Rule” is about a contrived violent crime and police brutality rather than a heist, though the presentation of the noir theme is a bit whimsical. We liked the tension between the story and the package.
Reetta Linjama: Definitely the fact I hadn’t done a crime comic before. I’m always looking to expand the list of genres I’ve worked in. But it was also a great fit because my sense of humour tends to come through in everything I make.
Rodrigo Vargas: I like when crime is used to defy odds and beat unfair systems. In these days when true crime is big and grim, it’s refreshing to see creators take on crime in a different manner. Me and Coni included.
Tayson Martindale: I love mysteries, and I love comics– they are two wonderful ways to take a little escape from reality and relax and decompress. So the chance to put those two things together– yes, please!
Van Jensen: Wait, it’s supposed to be light-hearted? Ours is a bit grim, but that’s me. A real hard case.
What can you tell us about your story — who are you working with, and what is it about?
Amy Chase: Our story is “Play It Again”, which tells the story of a punk rock vampire on the hunt to reclaim the last known copy of his old band’s low-run vinyl LP pressed decades ago that has now ended up in the clutches of a collector. The script was co-written by me and Tango, who also did all of the line art. Xenon Honchar did colors and Noah Stephens did letters. Together, we made our own sort of punk band jamming on this fun story!
Bevan Thomas: I’m the writer and my wife Reetta Linjama is the illustrator of the story “The Good Word.” It’s about a young con artist in Mississippi selling a healing elixir that he claims gave the saintly patriarchs of the Biblical Old Testament their long and healthy lives. Though the con artist is charismatic and talented, events happen that make it hard for him to maintain his narrative. It’s a story about how people can exploit faith and belief, and how the person who is able to tell the best story under pressure is often the person who wins.
Chuck Harp: My team consists of artist Luis Santamarina and letterer Rob Jones. The story follows three graffiti artists who need to re-up their paint supply after a night out turned sour. Without the funds necessary, they must come up with a new plan.
David Brothers: “Polyphonic Funk: My Outlaw Melody” blends a few interests that Alissa and I share with a very slightly gag manga premise. In it, a young woman named Melody is joined by her father, a former criminal genius and current ghost, in her quest to become the top criminal in town. She’s gotta do it before her mother, also a criminal genius, makes her go to college, so things are getting pretty desperate. What’s an aspiring delinquent to do?
Illuminated: I wrote, drew and colored my entry all on my lonesome. “Psikotika Will Strike at Midnight” is a tribute to ‘60s Italian crime comics, a surreal and comedic take on some of the big tropes of the genre.
John Konrad: I wrote and illustrated my story, “Darling Doesn’t Know,” which is a noir screwball comedy set during the Golden Age of Hollywood. It’s about a celebrity couple that resort to murder to inherit each other’s fortunes. What they don’t realize is that both of them are flat broke.
Kit Mills: Henry Barajas wrote the script, and I handled all the visuals. Our tale is one of creative disappointment and the desperate things that a disillusioned artist will do to achieve success.
Mariah McCourt: I’m so lucky Jules Rivera agreed to do this story with me, I’ve wanted to work with her for a while, and we’ve been friends for years. I knew she’d bring energy and fun to the story and wow, did she!
Nick Mamatas: “The Twenty-One Foot Rule” is about two sisters, bitter sibling rivals, who cannot stand the fact that their parents love them both the same. One of them has an off-putting preoccupation with true crime… I wrote the script, adapted from my short story of the same name that was published in 2023, and all the art and lettering is by the talented Jules Valera.
Reetta Linjama: My spouse, writer Bevan Thomas, is my most frequent collaborator and I think his script nailed the tone of Perfect Crime Party. In our comic a ne’er-do-well gets alerted to the weak spots in his savior scam — but hey, critique is just a path to improvement…
Rodrigo Vargas: Coni Yovaniniz and I made a little story that’s about a group of kids making counterfeit trading cards in order to defeat the kings of TCG’s. It’s called “Spirit Duplicator” and It’s a really fun story. Very goofy.
Tayson Martindale: My story is a Clue-style whodunnit set in the North Pole. Bruce Justice, our intrepid detective who specializes in Mythical Homicide, has arrived to investigate the murder of Santa’s new hotshot reindeer, Bluedolph. All the suspects are gathered inside Claus Mansion and Bruce is about to reveal who the murderer is, when the lights go out and… I probably shouldn’t say too much more!
Van Jensen: I’m a former newspaper crime reporter, so it’s a story about a newspaper crime reporter who decides to put all his knowledge of crimes, and why they normally fail, and puts it toward a heist of his own. My collaborator is Neal Obermeyer, a super talented editorial cartoonist who is also a college friend and former coworker at our student newspaper!
I don’t want to get anyone into any trouble, so feel free to plead the fifth here, but did any real-life events influence your story idea?
Amy Chase: No real-life events, but there’s a very obvious nod to a real person in the story. Since the story is generally a love letter to monsters and their humanity, we’ll leave it to readers to figure out who has a museum style exhibition dedicated to monsters who would probably end up acquiring a vampire’s personal property by happenstance. *wink* (Yes, I just typed wink.)
Bevan Thomas: Not really, no, except that I was rereading John D. Fitzgerald’s marvelous Great Brain books at the time, a children’s series about the world’s youngest con artist, a child in an 1890s Utah town who loves to find new ways of swindling his friends and neighbors. When I discovered the premise of Iron Circus’ anthology would be “light-hearted crime,” I realized I wanted to pull a con similar to what a more grown-up version of the Great Brain would pull.
Chuck Harp: I subscribe to the concept of “write what you know” so I always want to put my interests in my work. Whether it be skateboarding or graffiti.
David Brothers: Vandalism is a safe crime to admit to, right? They won’t like, extradite me back to you-know-where to pay for vandalizing a certain place to death before I left the country? I should probably check on this. Anyway, my new answer is “No, all characters and criminal acts appearing in this work are purely from our imagination, which is the only time we’ve thought about a crime.”
Illuminated: Reading the original comics that I’m poking fun at counts as real-life events influencing the story, right?
John Konrad: I haven’t plotted mariticide myself, so I’m sorry to disappoint you there. My story was partially inspired by Dr. Dante, a con man who was briefly married to Lana Turner and scammed her out of thousands of dollars. I liked the idea that all the fantasy and glamor of Hollywood could be a smokescreen for crime.
Kit Mills: I can’t speak for Henry’s experiences as a creator, but I think there’s often a little element of theft in the creative process — we’re always looking to other people for influences, and stealing little bits of what we like about their work to incorporate it into our own. Some of us are better at hiding it than others. When you don’t cover your tracks, it’s called plagiarism.
Mariah McCourt: Not of my own, thankfully, but the city of Edinburgh has an amazing history of crime, medicine, and literature, so it’s not surprising to me that after a trip there I was inspired to write all kinds of stories. This one was inspired by the cities unique living structure known as “close’s”. The city of Edinburgh is built into an inactive volcano and the layout is fascinating!
Nick Mamatas: Yes! Nothing personal, but in real life there is a widespread belief among police that someone with a hidden knife will be able to rush up and stab them before they can draw their own firearm and shoot them, if the hypothetical attacker is within twenty-one feet. This “twenty-one foot rule” is one reason why police will claim to have feared for their lives after shooting a civilian who is ultimately discovered to have been unarmed.
Reetta Linjama: I can’t speak for the script. I always end up using some physical features and gestures from real people for my characters and their acting, although to my knowledge they’re not criminals. Maybe that’s my crime.
Rodrigo Vargas: Yes! But not in a criminal way. When I was a kid one of my classmates tried to trade one of my Pokemon cards for one he drew on a torn piece of notebook paper. I didn’t trade it, but he raised some valid points when making his deal.
Tayson Martindale: I certainly hope not, haha! Honestly, playing the board games Clue and 13 Dead End Drive when I was in Grade 4 probably led me to this story. They were so much fun for an elementary school kid growing up in the ‘90s!
Van Jensen: I might have fantasized about committing the perfect crime, but I’ve got a clean rap sheet.
Again, hypothetically, if you were going to plan the perfect crime, is there anyone working on this anthology you’d enlist for help?
Amy Chase: I’d certainly pick Tango! I like to think we’re partners in crime now, but beyond that, man is she clever and efficient. She has a really good eye for detail and action pacing, as you’ll see in the pages of “Play It Again.” I feel like that might translate to some laser-grid dodging and uncovering secret entrances if we ever had to heist something for real.
Bevan Thomas: Ryan Estrada, without a doubt. For years he ran the popular Twitter page For Exposure, which showcased a host of Internet ads that requested artists for projects (most often comics) but didn’t offer them any money, claiming that the “fame” and “exposure” this project would give their art would be worth far more than any monetary benefits. For Exposure has made Ryan very aware of the numerous ways people try to take advantage of the artistic community, get them to work for nothing. This familiarity with humanity’s conniving, exploitive side would serve him well in helping me plan the perfect con.
Chuck Harp: Honestly, why not enlist everyone and do a worldwide heist?
David Brothers: I see Henry Barajas & Kit Mills are doing a strip called “Joke Theft.” Henry and I worked alongside each other a fair number of years ago now. I reckon if I needed someone in the southwest who could make things happen without a question asked, he’d be the first guy I’d call.
Illuminated: Maybe artist Cloud TC. I enjoy his punkish, anarchic style, I think we could plan something wacky together.
John Konrad: Kel McDonald kept the anthology running like a well-oiled machine, so I think they’d be very useful in planning a heist. They would know how to assemble a team and get inside exactly when the guard’s back is turned.
Kit Mills: Probably Kel McDonald, the editor. After looking over everyone’s stories with a critical eye, I’d imagine that they have some ideas up their sleeves.
Mariah McCourt: Jules, for sure. She’s strong, she’s a badass, and she’d help out a friend without question.
Nick Mamatas: My comic partner Jules, whom I was lucky enough to meet this summer when I traveled to Scotland. Jules is a real scrapper, and thinks on their feet.
Reetta Linjama: You could trust Ryan Estrada’s crime to be righteous. I’d have the most fun on Chris Sebela’s crew. But the best chance of success I’d obviously have with Bevan because of our teamwork.
Rodrigo Vargas: Easy. Ryan Estrada. Dude’s been all over the planet, except here in Chile. Bunch of nerds in comics, but this guy was in the middle of a drug war. And I’m sure he can plan a heist, since he made the friendliest heist comic in Aki Alliance.
Tayson Martindale: Probably Kel McDonald (our wonderful editor). They know the secrets to all the mysteries in this anthology!
Van Jensen: Kel McDonald is crazy organized and would definitely be on the crew.
What else have you been working on lately?
Amy Chase: Most recently, I’ve been part of the Tell Them of Us: The Stories We Leave Behind anthology from Dauntless Stories, which is running on Kickstarter until Sept. 8. I’ve been working with artist Matt Harding on a piece for this collection called “Stick to Your Guns,” about humanity’s commodification of violence and firearms specifically.
I’ve also been working with Maverick on an unannounced OGN, which is about all I can say there! I keep my website amythunderjam.com up to date as best as I can with all my latest announcements.
Bevan Thomas: I love mythology and folklore of all sorts, and I am currently exploring my own Welsh heritage by writing a young adult novel that adapts “Culhwch & Olwen,” the oldest surviving King Arthur story. It’s a Welsh legend in which most of King Arthur’s warriors possess crazy superpowers, and they battle giants and monsters of all sorts as they hunt for all the objects needed to let Culhwch marry Olwen, the daughter of a giant king. An utterly bizarre, rambling story, so much fun to explore.
Chuck Harp: I got a few coals in the fire but what I can talk about is my short comic “The Balladeer” being featured in the upcoming anthology, The Setlist II, from Inservice Comics. Outside of that, I’m still writing skateboard articles for a multitude of publications.
David Brothers: I have a series debuting on Sept. 11 called Time Waits, with Chip Zdarsky, Marcus To, Marvin Sianipar, Matt Wilson, and Ariana Maher! It’s a classic crime story with a sci-fi twist. A time traveler is on the run and settles in our present, only for the future to catch up with him. Nobody escapes their past, right? It’s three double-sized issues and a huge format, so if you dig this, you’ll dig that, and vice versa.
Illuminated: Right now, the big thing I’m working on is drawing the second volume of The Star Tide Shores, a sci-fi adventure series I’ve created together with my friend, writer Henry Goeldner. We successfully kickstarted volume 1 in early 2024 and plan to have this second story out in early 2025.
John Konrad: I’m putting together my own comic anthology, which features work from myself and other cartoonists based in Tucson, Arizona. It’s in the works, but it’ll be self-published on my website at https://www.vomitparty.com/.
Kit Mills: Henry and I have a graphic novel coming out with Image Comics next year, with Mags Visaggio on script and Jordie Bellaire on colors! It’s called Surrender, and it’s sort of a trans Twin Peaks x Batman story of queer vigilante justice, with supernatural elements and a lot of ex-Catholic imagery. I’m really proud of the work I did on this book, and can’t wait for people to read it.
Mariah McCourt: A bunch of stuff I can’t talk about yet (boo!) but also my own work which I’m sharing on my Patreon, MonsterTeaTime. Short stories, poems, art, and random crafts.
Nick Mamatas: I’m putting the finishing touches on editing a prose crime/gothic fiction anthology, 120 Murders: Dark Fiction Inspired by the Alternative Era, which includes stories by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Paul Tremblay, and many more. It can be pre-ordered here.
Reetta Linjama: Since ‘The Good Word’ I’ve been tied up with my day job so far, but you can read most of my previous comics at behance.net/kelipipo. When I make more, you can keep updated about them on my Bluesky and Ko-fi accounts — I tend to make a standalone short comic for spring events.
Rodrigo Vargas: Oh, you know… stuff. How about you? Just kidding! Me and Coni are preparing the last bits of color for our second book! Coming out eventually through Clarion/Harper Collins.
Tayson Martindale: I’m just wrapping up illustrations for an upcoming children’s books about Ringette! Then I plan on diving into my next full graphic novel project, which is an all-ages horror story about hope. I’ve been kicking around the idea for that one for the last four years and can’t wait to jump into it.
Van Jensen: My debut novel Godfall (out now!) is in development at Amazon as a TV series with Academy Award-winner Ron Howard directing.
Thanks to everyone who contributed answers! Here’s the complete list of stories and contributors:
- Bluedolph the Dead Nose Reindeer by Tayson Martindale – Someone has murdered one of Santa’s Reindeer and there is only one detective who can find out which perp belongs on the naughty list!
- By The Horns by Malcolm Derikx & Brenna Baines – Teens in ancient Greece plan to save their favorite bull for a sacrificial altar.
- Darling Doesn’t Know by John Konrad – Two celebrities think murder is an easier solution to their problems than divorce.
- Grand Theft Octo by Kate Ashwin & Claude TC – This set of thieves is gonna rob the most expensive casino in the galaxy!
- Joke Theft by Henry Barajas & Kit Mills – A joke thief makes the perfect set.
- Play It Again by Tango, Amy Chase, Xenon Honchar, & Noah Stephens – A vampire wants to recover memorabilia of his old band for a music collection.
- Polyphonic Funk: My Outlaw Melody by David Brothers & Alissa Sallah – A delinquent plans a car heist with the help of her dead father’s ghost.
- Prym and Burn by Mariah McCourt & Jules Rivera – Without easy access to divorce, women in Victorian London need to find other ways to free themselves from abusive husbands.
- Psikotika Will Strike At Midnight by Illuminated – A detective tries their best to stop a grand theft they were warned was coming.
- Racked by Chuck Harp, Luis Santamarina, & Rob Jones – When your crimes need art supplies, the answer is more crime.
- Reap What You Sow by Ale Green & Fanny Rodriguez – Gorilla gardening is the best solution to beautify the neighborhood and help native plants.
- Sideswiped by Chris Sebela & Kendall Goode – A sap finds out his first date was a set up.
- Sincerely A Lady by Molly Muldoon & Caitlin Like – A new wardrobe reveals a history of sneaking, spying, and gossip.
- Smugglers Abroad by Michelle Gruppetta & Fleur Sciortino – A family tries to get the best chocolate over the border.
- Spirit Duplicator by Rodrigo Vargas & Coni Yovaniniz – Fraud and theft are the only ways to stop this card-playing bully.
- The Cloud Thief by Erin Roseberry – A witch needs to steal some clouds to make it rain.
- The Crime Beat by Van Jensen & Neal Obermeyer – An underpaid journalist takes revenge on their boss.
- The Good Word by Bevan Thomas & Reetta Linjama – A snake oil salesman meets his match in a small town.
- The Heist by Amy Chu & Anderson Cabral – In a world where paper is rarer than gold, a thief must break into the most heavily guarded building in town: the library.
- The Ninth Life of Tabitha Tuxedo by James F Wright & Jackie Crofts – Tabitha Tuxedo conducts an elaborate jailbreak for their partner in crime.
- The Plague of the Living Rest Benches by Nathaniel Wilson – Scientist and unethical experiments have led to the sidewalks of the world being deadly.
- The Swinevald Pearl by Ben Coleman & Cat Farris – All the security in the world won’t stop this otter from getting his pearl.
- The Twenty-One Foot Rule by Nick Mamatas & Jules Valera – A fake and deadly duel turns out to be not so fake after all.
- Trevor n Derrick Le Debacle de Fromage by Matylda McCormack-Sharp – A mouse is determined to get its favorite cheese all to itself.
- Written Off by Ryan Estrada & Axur Eneas – A movie crew aims to steal the rights back from the corporation that is ruining their movie.
You can learn more about Perfect Crime Party on the BackerKit page, and check out this six-page excerpt of The Heist by Amy Chu and Anderson Cabral:
