What is that in the woods over there? That is Bigfoot! Wait no, no that is someone reading Hoax Hunters #1. Hoax Hunters is a new series from Image Comics. It takes a look at the folklore, the things that go bump in the night and more. But they do it with a sense of flavor and comedic sense. We here at Comic Booked got Michael Moreci – one of the creators and writers of Hoax Hunters – to share some goodies about the series and more.
ComicBooked: How did you guys come up with the idea behind Hoax Hunters?
Michael Moreci: A lot of the early creation of the series was a product of necessity. When Tim (Seeley) offered us a backup spot in Hack/Slash, we had very little time to get an idea together. Steve had Murder, I had Ken Cadaver. We mashed those two together and built from there. Both Steve and I have an affinity for conspiracies, supernatural, cryptozoology, all that unusual “hidden reality” world. And one day the hook came to us, to have a fake reality TV show that was actually in cahoots with the myths they were publicly busting. It was fun and different, so we ran with it. And Hoax Hunters was born.
CB: How will this comic tell different stories in this genre?
MM: I think the main factor that separates us from other similar stories is the tongue-in-cheek element we bring to Hoax 
Hunters. There’s definitely a low ceiling for how serious we take ourselves and our work, and that’s something that is missing in other stories. We’re not afraid to poke fun at ourselves and the culture we’re working in. Because, really, in many ways the Hoax Hunters reality show is ridiculous and silly, and we know that. I remember watching Millennium when it was on — which is a second cousin to Hoax Hunters, X-Files being a first cousin — and being so turned off by how relentlessly dark and humorless it was. Or, going the reality TV route, someone like Josh Gates who never laughs at himself, never finds the humor in his weird pursuits. That’s not us.
CB: Do you believe in folklore legends, monsters or UFO’s?
MM: Maybe? I can’t say for certain either way. I do think there is compelling evidence out there, and not every single person who has had an encounter with an alien, ghost, or monster is lying or delusional. There has to be something, you know? Not to mention the efforts that certain agencies have made to actively disprove things like Area 51, Bigfoot, etc.
So, in a way, I’m a believer. I believe there’s a hidden world out there, I just don’t know what it is.
CB: Will Hoax Hunters be an ongoing series or a mini-series?
MM: Ongoing. And we’re super excited about that, because we have a lot of Hoax Hunters story to tell. Whether further developing our characters, presenting more and more myths/hoaxes, or exploring the mythology, there’s plenty of material for us to mine. And, trust us, we do know where the story is headed and what the future (and past) holds for our characters. We’ll reveal everything as the story progresses, and it’s going to be a fun ride.
CB: What is your favorite part of working on Hoax Hunters?
MM: I think the best part of writing the series is the ability to mash-up genres at will. Our stories range from sci-fi to character drama to comedy to horror; we’re not encumbered by being any one particular type of book. And for us, that’s great. Both Steve and I have eclectic tastes and interests, so having a vehicle that allows such range is particularly fulfilling for both of us. Not only that, but it makes for better stories — everything on Earth has been done to death. Superheroes, sci-fi, whatever, it’s all like something else. The trick, of course, is to put your personal spin on it, but it’s also fun as a reader to go down this rabbit hole of this ecstasy of influences.
CB: Do you have any other projects in the works that you can talk about?
MM: Steve and I are working on a few projects, and they’re in various stages of development. One, in fact, we may be announcing soon. There’s going to be more coming from us, that’s for sure. And I don’t think it’ll be what people expect. We’re going a whole different direction away from Hoax Hunters in our future works.
Big thanks to Michael Moreci for the interview. For more info on Hoax Hunters, head on over to their website.
Stay tuned to Comic Booked for all your latest comic book and movie news!
