EXCLUSIVE: Tom Hutchison talks BIG DOG INK in 2014


While attending this year’s Amazing Arizona Comic Con I was able to sit down with Tom Hutchison and discuss his awesome company BIG DOG INK.

UTF: Can you tell me how Big Dog Ink came about?

Penny For Your SoulTom Hutchison: In 2009, I got let go from my job. I was working at the time in the sports card industry. At that point, I had been kind of dabbling in writing, just on the side. I had been writing Critter and Penny for Your Soul, so I kind of had a beginning for what Big Dog Ink would eventually become. When I got let go from my job, I decided at that point to let me just take my shot at this. This is the time, obviously, the door is open. Let me go through and see what I can do with it. We published our first book in 2010, and we will be celebrating our fourth year of publishing this year.

UTF: Congratulations and I’ve got to ask, after four years of publishing, do have a favorite title or character?

Critter 1Tom Hutchison: When people ask me that question, I usually give them my business card. You can’t see it here, but I’m giving him my card, and on my card, right underneath my name, it says “Critter‘s Daddy.” That pretty much answers the question every time. Critter was what I started with. I was always a superhero fan when I was growing up with comics. Wonder Woman especially was one of the first things I ever read. When it came time for me to write my own books, doing a character like that was natural for me. I love writing her, and I love when people read that book and then come back and love her too.

UTF: It’s the start of the New Year. If you were to approach the average comic book enthusiast to try to get them to pick up a copy of a Big Dog Ink title how would you pitch it to them?

Legend of Oz - Wicked WestTom Hutchison: It’s tricky because you don’t know what people like, but that’s one of the things that we do here. We really try to have something for everyone, whether you like superheroes, horror, westerns, fantasy. There’s something, generally, here for you. Even for the kids we have a new all-ages book that we put out called Serusis, which is very Pixar-style storytelling with some really cool ‘80s inspired art.

It really just depends on what they like. Each book has its own pitch. Penny for Your Soul is about a demon who decides she wants to get in on the end-of-days battle between Heaven and Hell, so she sets herself up in Las Vegas and offers to buy her patron’s souls for $10,000. That’s certainly one sort of clientele. And then with the Legend of Oz: The Wicked West, it’s our re-imagining of “The Wizard of Oz where in stead of ruby slippers, Gayle wears ruby spurs, ruby bullets, and Toto is her horse. Each one’s really got its own individual personality, and we just try and match that to the potential buyer.

I want to take the time to thank Mr. Tom Hutchison for chatting with me. It was a real pleasure and I know I speak for the rest of the Unleash The Fanboy staff when I say: we can’t wait to see what you get done in the coming months!

So what did you think of the interview my fellow fanboys and fangirls?

Sound off with your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!