Review Fix Exclusive: Sean Von Gorman and Matt Miner Talk ’Toe Tag Riot’

Review Fix chats with “Toe Tag Riot” writer Matt Miner and artist Sean Von Gorman, who discuss the Kickstarter behind the wild and outrageous zombie tale that has everyone on Twitter and the Westboro Baptist Church talking.

From the inspiration behind the series and Von Gorman and Miner’s feud with the WBC, the creative team give us an inside peek at the creation and development of the comic.

For more information on the comic and to contribute to Miner and Von Gorman’s project, click here.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for the comic?

Matt Miner: I love interviewing with Sean because the comic means something different to each of us but it’s equally important to both.

I’d asked Sean for a commission of a zombie-version of Joey Ramone and Sid Vicious and, as a guy who grew up in the punk scene, this got me thinking about punk zombies.  Since I don’t eat meat, I started wondering “what would I eat if I was a zombie?” because I don’t think zombies can exist on a plant based diet.

So I decided if I was ever turned, I’d try and eat only bad people.  Dexter-style (kind-of), I’d go after scumbags:  racists, homophobes, hate groups, misogynists and the like.

Review Fix: Tell us more about the story, what are you hoping to accomplish here?

Miner: I think Sean described it pretty well – a punk band is cursed with temporary recurring zombification and goes on the road to chase the cure, using their zombie “superpowers” for good.

Sean Von Gorman: What I love about this project is that we’re able to tell a super fun, tongue-in-cheek story with a central message of inclusiveness and tolerance.  I love that we have this really progressive tale wrapped up tons of blood and guts.

Review Fix: What makes the characters different from other comics?

Miner: Our characters give a damn about the world around them and are trying to make it a better place in a “let’s sic our zombie selves on some bad guys” kind of way.

Von Gorman: And our “Zombies” are very much aware of the Comic Book nature of their condition. They don’t become undead in the typical horror movie way but their

Review Fix: Talk about some of the rewards on Kickstarter, what makes them different?

Miner: We have a lot of rewards that include copies of the books, T-shirts that mock the Westboro Baptist Church, stickers and the like, but we also have a lot of spots where YOU, dear backers, can join the book.  And the starting pledges to actually appear in the book aren’t astronomically high, either.

In addition, we have some awesome rewards that pro pals have donated, like a signed script and signed POP #1 from Curt Pires and, for the aspiring comics writer: a script review and critique from Adam P Knave (Amelia Cole).  The kind of feedback Adam can give you would be priceless to anyone looking to break in to the business.

Review Fix: How important is the art to the story?

Miner: More important than the script.  Seriously, since the book is so lighthearted and fun, the book is benefiting hugely from Sean’s great comedic storytelling abilities.  Every time I get a new page from Sean there’s at least 1 for-real LOL involved because he’s just bringing the funny and the gory in a big way.

Review Fix: How interesting has the interaction with the Westboro Baptist Church been?

Miner: They called us “Insincere Pervs”!  It’s still unclear what we’re insincere about.

Von Gorman: Yes they were more civil before they found out that they were endorsing a comic starring primarily LGBT cast. Whoops, I guess you should look at studd you promote. #ProTip

Review Fix: Any thoughts on sequel?

Miner: Sure. Let’s take Toe Tag Riot on a world tour. Tons of bad guys in other countries, too…

Von Gorman: Matt and I have created a super rich group of characters and the types of stories we can tell about them. Especially with them being in Zombies and in a Band. The possibilities are almost to frightening to think about.

Review Fix: How do you want it to be remembered?

Miner: I want it to be remembered as the book that got made because it hit its funding goal!  So, dear readers, please check it out and pledge.

Von Gorman: Absolutely, Comics is a Team Sport. Especially when they are funded with through Kickstarter. Every single person who pledges to this project becomes part of it. But it can’t happen if we don’t make it to the goal. So to anyone who reads this, if you want to be a part of one of the next great Comic Franchises head over to ToeTagRiot.com and support Toe Tag Riot.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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