Interview: Playing with Anarchy with Louis Southard and “Laugh Riot”
Remember, remember, the Fools of November
Comic books are meant to be enjoyed. Loudly, boldly, and sometimes with a message about the current state of society, with anarchy in hand. That’s the energy behind Laugh Riot #1, the latest creation from rising comic book writer Louis Southard (X-O Manowar, Flash Gordon Quarterly) and artist Devlin Baker (The Stranger).
Described as 1984 meets Looney Tunes, the book is a ridiculing take on anti-fascist, ultraviolent satire. One that weaponizes slapstick with a unique protagonist in Merry Andrew, who’s like V from V for Vendetta, but with some very jesteyr/jokery vibes.
With the series freshly funded on Kickstarter, we sat down with Louis Southard to dig into the chaos that is Laugh Riot, asking just what this comic is about and just what message he’s trying to showcase in this latest interview.
You ripped the band-aid off first, so I’ll do the same. Is President Gander an allegory for Donald Trump?
LOUIS SOUTHARD: Haha, deep end of the pool it is then. I think I’d be a real liar if I didn’t say that one of the bigger factors for our fictional President Gander was Donald Trump and the Trump Administration. Especially with how nationalistic and aggressive it’s grown over the years. But, I must admit that probably the main source of inspiration was a cult leader named David Brandt Berg. He founded a religious group called The Family, which did all the usual horrific culty things of brainwashing, child abuse, blackmailing, etcetera.
However, one practice the organization did that I thought was kind of fascinating was that their members created and consumed only their own media. They made TV shows, films, books, and even comic books centered around how wonderful Berg was as the all-knowing prophet they called Grandpa. So, I guess my thought was “What if someone took that to a monolithic scale?” What if one person were part of life in every sense of the word? Not just media and politics, but education, sex, child rearing, business, and more. To boil it all down, it’s all about the extremes of the manufacturization of personality.
What was the impetus then for Laugh Riot?
LOUIS SOUTHARD: Hopelessness, haha. I don’t know. The world is kind of bleak feeling and I think a lot of Americans feel this bipartisan powerlessness. You turn on the news, and it’s just another horrific or disappointing update beyond our control. So, instead of succumbing to the darkness, I wanted to channel my own feelings and interests into the arts. Make something to understand and combat that. If anything, this project is almost a form of therapy, haha.
Is this more Political or Satirical? Because it’s entertaining to say the least. Like “Deadpool for Vendetta”
LOUIS SOUTHARD: Are those two words not just synonyms at this point? Haha. I would say it’s historical. While we’re confronting topics that seem timely, a lot of my research goes back to periods, trivia, and figures from the past I find interesting. Even the protagonist--Merry Andrew--is a kind of a history joke I’m making based on the concept of “Jester’s Privilege” from medieval times. Only the jester can make fun of the king, therefore he’s the most free and powerful. History just repeats itself. Situations repeat themselves. Nothing is new. It’s just life, unfortunately.
There’s a lot of momentum in these middle pages. Is every issue going to be like this? With Merry Andrew defying the odds with hijinks, impossible clown comedy tools, and a general sense of humor?
LOUIS SOUTHARD: I’ll be completely honest when I say no. For Laugh Riot, we’re following a bit of an Image Comics’ Ice Cream Man approach. Every issue follows a different subsect of Usonia--our fascist society--and how they respond to Merry Andrew. Issue two is centered around the religious response, issue three is the military’s response, and so on and so on. Basically, every issue is a short story that is a piece in a much larger machine.
Our upcoming story is practically a Faustian deal centered around selling out and selling your soul. Basically, we’re taking a lot of creative freedom in exploring the idea of a perfectly and meticulously designed society of ideals, order, and control, confronted by an impossible man who doesn’t make sense. There’s a lot to mine there.
The artwork is sublime in that it’s serious yet cartoonish enough that anything can happen. I like the lanky linework. Tell us what your process was like working with Devlin Baker.
LOUIS SOUTHARD: Devlin is the best. When I was writing the script, I wanted someone who could capture something grounded while also being very cartoony. Looney Tunes is one of the big pillars of this book’s language, after all. So, I saw Devlin do a commission of Marvel’s Typhoid Mary but with this Chappell Roan-kinda mix to her, and I fell in love. I keep saying this, but Devlin is like a young Frank Miller. Such energy. He’s the best. But, in terms of working together? I write the script and he goes to work, haha. We do follow the Golden Rule, though: if he has a better idea for something, he goes for it and takes it. It’s been a lot of fun, and we get along very well. However, if he reads this, he’ll say I’m glazing him, so I’d best stop now, haha.
What can readers expect in these upcoming issues?
LOUIS SOUTHARD: Ooo, I already said too much before. I don’t want to spoil anything beyond that, but I’ll give you some vague ideas. We’ve got super-soldiers, sex workers, a cinematic universe of motion pictures, an even newer testament, The Boys from Brazil, and more coming down the pipeline. Not in the ways you expect, either. It’s gonna be one wild ride.
Finally, why should people read Laugh Riot, and where can they support your work?
LOUIS SOUTHARD: They should read it if they want to SMILE!!! But, in all seriousness, I feel like Laugh Riot is a fun power fantasy that can offer a little escapism in the form of a funny little guy doing madcap anarchism. We make this comic book on Kickstarter, though, and we’re doing something kind of neat.
For our past campaign of issue one, we’ll be matching excess funds to make donations to the Sameer Project in Gaza and the Trans Lifeline here in the USA after we ship out the books. My hope is to have new charities every issue that we help out a little. As I said, this book is a power fantasy told in fictional violence. Violence doesn’t do much for me in reality, though. So, if we’re going to say something a little provocative, we might as well help some people along the way too. If you’d like to support us and check out future issues, I’d say to follow me online anywhere at @louissouthard or Devlin at @fancygoblin_ so as to keep up to date with future Kickstarters and campaign updates. We have eight issues in us, so we hope to see you there!
Laugh Riot #1 of 8 just funded on Kickstarter. You can follow along for more as the fun’s only just begun. You can follow along for Laugh Riot #2 right now.
Christian Angeles is a writer and entertainment journalist with nearly a decade of experience covering comics, video games, and digital media. He was senior editor at The Beat during its Eisner Award–winning year and also served as managing editor of The Workprint. Outside of journalism, he writes comics and books.
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