Special Guest Tap Dance Killer: An Interview with Ted Sikora Script

Intro~

Today’s episode will discuss the Tap Dance Killer comic book series with our special guest, creator, and writer, Ted Sikora!

Add clip “Intro Music” to episode

How We Met

I met Ted Sikora at Rubber City Comics in Akron, Ohio, where he was tabling to advertise his comics. My friend, Editor, brought him to my attention, and I quickly fell in love with his story. I was so excited that I was bouncing and could barely speak. By the time I left, he had convinced me to buy Tap Dance Killer: Vol. 1 and three of his spin-off Punchline and the Vaude-Villains comics. He signed all my purchases and gave me a free sticker along with a bookmark. I was very happy to learn later that the design on the sticker matches up with the bookmark if you lay it on top.

Hero Tomorrow Comics

Before I introduce Ted for our interview, I’m going to read a few selections from the “About” page on his website, HeroTomorrow.com:

Hero Tomorrow Comics is an independent creator-owned comic book publisher and studio. We are distributed internationally by Diamond Comics, and all our stories take place within a shared universe.

When Apama #1 begins there are no known superheroes in the world. Readers witness the origin of the first hero, and then all villains are introduced one at a time. There’s no playing catch up with seventy years of history, retcons, & reboots.

We wear a huge influence of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and John Romita (the greatest rock band of all time) on our sleeves. Think of Hero Tomorrow Comics as that classic 70s bronze age re-imagined for the New Roaring '20s.

Ted also has his own biography on the same webpage:

Ted Sikora is a Cleveland/Akron based comic book writer and filmmaker. He is the president of Hero Tomorrow Comics, and the creator/writer/letterer of Tap Dance Killer, Punchline & the Vaude-Villains, Bloom, and creator/co-writer/colorist/letterer of Apama The Undiscovered Animal.

As a filmmaker he directed and co-produced the dark comedy indie feature Hero Tomorrow, and the feature doc Move On! Ted has directed hundreds of shorts in the realms of documentary, music videos, and education.

He wrote the libretto, principle music and lyrics for the horror show musical Nothing Like Vaudeville.

Links to all the productions mentioned in these excerpts can be found on HeroTomorrow.com.

Questions for Ted: Introductions

• I know I was very excited when I first met you. Is it throwing you off that my voice is completely different from how I talk to you now for my podcast?

• Now for actual questions about your work: Can you take us on a journey through the evolution of this idea for Tap Dance Killer? Where did it come from, and how has it transformed over time?

• We’ll be talking about the characters in the comics in just a minute, but I noticed a different character on your website that doesn’t seem connected to the rest. Could you explain a bit about the titular character in Bloom?

Questions for Ted: Origin of Tap Dance Killer

• You sent me the Origin of Tap Dance Killer as a PDF to read. I have a few questions about the characters and story, but first, is this readily available for our listeners to buy on the Hero Tomorrow Comics website?

• You do an excellent job of using memories and contextual clues to show us the character of Apama, including his power to talk to animals and his trouble with the police. I loved it when he brought up his mom on page 22, and we learned that he’s a country boy who says things like, “Whoa, Nelly.” That was great characterization; it added context for why he is how he is without being too expositional.

  • Would you recommend reading the Apama: The Undiscovered Animal comics before diving into Tap Dance Killer?

  • Could you quickly summarize his origin story?

• After the spell is cast on Nikki and two of her castmates, she starts talking more like her character in the play. She goes from a suave INSERT CHARACTER type to acting more like Harley Quinn.

  • How did you work on the transition between Nikki being herself and Nikki becoming the real-life version of her Tap Dance Killer character?

• Anyone who reads comics knows that sounds of fighting and other significant actions are displayed in bold letters with sound effect words like BAM! and POW!.

  • Yours had a bit of variety, including KUNCH, PUK, CHOK, and SMEK. How do you come up with these?

Questions for Ted: Tap Dance Killer

• How did Nikki get the old lady mask she used to sneak over to visit her mom?

• I love how realistic the Tap Dance Killer’s costume is. She had to ask for somewhere to put her gun when most comments just make the costumes somehow full of weapons storage.

  • What made you choose to be more realistic in this case?

Questions for Ted: Punchline and the Vaude-Villains

• Will there be more Tap Dance Killer comics, or will Nikki’s story be told exclusively through Punchline and the Vaude-Villains?

• You do an excellent job weaving exposition into the story at the beginning of the first comic.

  • Do you have any advice for future writers on how to do just that?

• Do you have any final thoughts either for me or the audience?

Thank you so much, Ted, for agreeing to do this interview with me. I have learned a lot, and so will the audience. Thank you for sharing your stories with the world, and I can’t wait for what you put out next. 

Outro~

Hero Tomorrow Comics