We were lucky to catch up with Michael Kingston recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Michael with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was raised by two very strong women. I grew up in the 80’s in a household that consisted of myself, my mother, and my grandmother.
My grandmother worked nights, preparing meals for air travel, and then babysat during the day. My mother worked as an administrative assistant, back when they just called them a secretary. Many times, she also held a second part-time job to make ends meet. Even with that heavy work schedule, they still found time to keep a clean house and prepare home cooked meals.
We rented for a long time until they were finally able to purchase a small house near my high school.
Where I grew up, living in a single parent household was not remotely common and the earning potential for two working class women was not high. But they did what had to be done so we could have a roof over our head and food on the table.
And they demanded respect where they worked…another thing that didn’t come easy for working class women in the 80’s. But they took pride in everything they did…no matter how menial. And through their hard work, they earned respect at every job they held.
It’s simply impossible to grow up in a family like that and not have that influence you.
I write comic books…mostly about pro wrestling. Both wrestling and comic book fans are extremely tribal and brand loyal. I write and independent comic book that features a non-branded wrestling universe.
When I initially pitched Headlocked to publishers, I was shot down by everyone. And I mean, everyone. A representative from a major publisher literally laughed in my face. I was told wrestling fans don’t read and wrestling fans don’t buy comics (something I absolutely knew not to be true). A store in my own town wouldn’t even carry the book on consignment.
So, I set out to make it on my own.
I partnered with Visionary Comics Studio, who helped me meet artists and production folks who I would eventually make the first few issues with. Like my mother and grandmother before me, I worked two jobs to pay for art and printing costs. I sold it out of my backpack at wrestling shows until I could afford a few convention tables.
And then from there, I worked to build it…one reader at a time. If you bought a Headlocked comic from 2008 to 2014, it was likely by my hand. I would drive 4-6 hours to conventions and crash with friends to save a few bucks.
Then something cool happened.
Wrestlers, who were attending comic cons as fans, found my table and they bought my book. And they liked it. And down the road, we ended up making comics together.
Fast forward about fifteen years and I’m still very much publishing my comics myself…but on a much bigger scale. I am currently working on five different titles. Wrestlers that I grew up idolizing are now my collaborators on comic books. The actor who played one of my favorite characters on television just wrote an introduction to my latest anthology. Creatively, what I am doing right now has exceeded my wildest expectations by a country mile.
And yes, I still work full-time…in a high-volume management job, no less. And even though I’m publishing multiple titles out of my bedroom and spend over twenty weekends on the road, I still manage to be a successful leader for my teams. Working full-time somewhat limits the time I have to work on comics but it gives me the security to take risks, both creatively and in terms of the shows I choose to do without having to worry about keeping my lights on.
As anyone who knows me will tell you, I don’t sleep much. But this is how it works. And I am happy doing what I love, on my own terms, even though I have been running myself ragged for over a decade now.
And its a path I would likely never would have walked had I not been raised by two of the most stubborn, prideful, and hardest working women I’ve ever known.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the writer/creator of Headlocked Comics. I publish books about pro wrestling and books with pro wrestlers…in all different genres. I’ve collaborated with some of the biggest names in wrestling…multiple hall of famers and current television stars.
I set out to do this for two reasons. First, I love comics and wrestling and at the time, no one had made good wrestling comics. Secondly, as a longtime wrestling fan, I was always somewhat annoyed at how dismissive people would be of it.
People call it fake, but that’s very reductive.
It’s pre-determined, yes. But its also an art form…quite possibly, the last remaining form of vaudeville. And I wanted people to read my stories and see the art form through my eyes. Wrestlers are some of the most creative people I know.
That’s in addition to collaborating on stories, almost all the art we do in Headlocked Comics is produced by artists who are also trained as wrestlers. WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry “The King” Lawler provides cover art for our trade paperbacks and artists Michel Mulipola and Doug Hills are both trained as wrestlers as well.
I think as a consumer of media, you can always tell when something is made for money or out of love. When you pick up one of our books, there’s no question that it’s been made with passion.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Be fluid: When you’re a little fish, even small changes to the landscape can have huge ripple effects on you. I am constantly thinking what I can do differently, what I can do better, and how I can grow. If you look back through my social media, you can see how my books and my presentation has evolved over the years
Go where they’re not: There are well worn paths but those paths are worn b/c so many people are traveling on them. Finding a less traveled path can make your trip easier.
Be authentic: Tell the story that only you can tell. Use your voice. Don’t think about making it marketable…think about making it authentic.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My biggest challenge is always time. I do everything for Headlocked Comics other than art. I write, I edit, I publish, I pitch, I travel to conventions to sell my books, and I work full-time.
I work with people who are levels above me…mostly because they respect the work I do. But I am no one’s priority. Wrestlers make their money wrestling, actors make their money acting, artists make their money working for bigger publishers. So if I want to maintain the standard I have set, I need to be patient and steady, which can be frustrating at times.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.headlockedcomic.com
- Instagram: @headlockedcomic
- Facebook: @headlockedcomic
- Twitter: @headlockedcomic
- Youtube: @headlockedcomic
