Jason Baldwin
Creator / The Turnbuckle Brigade
An advertising copywriter, voiceover artist and former journalist, Jason has been writing professionally for almost 30 years. In the mid-2000s, he briefly found the time to co-create and write indie comic books. He lives in St. Louis, MO with his incredibly patient wife and too many pets. He’s probably thinking about Robocop right now.
Interview
Q: Where did this idea come from?
JB: I love old DC War Comics. There's something ridiculously amazing about them. The Unknown Soldier masqueraded as Hitler multiple times without the Germans figuring it out. The Haunted Tank was possessed by the ghost of a Confederate General and everyone thought that was okay because he kept saving the crew and helping them win battles. The War That Time Forgot was just Tanks vs. Dinosaurs stories. And then there's The Creature Commandos, which were basically the Universal Monsters as an elite combat squad that everyone – including U.S. Soldiers – tried to kill because they were literal MONSTERS.
Thus "Pro Wrestlers Fighting Nazis in WWII" was born.
The Turnbuckle Brigade is in that same spirit with a dash of G.I. Joe and 80s WWE where a guy screaming about being run over with lawnmowers was commonplace.
Q: Who do you think is the audience for this concept?
JB: That's a tough, and good question because it has its toes in so many different fandoms, genres and interests. I feel like Gen-Xers and Elder Millennials will definitely love this. It combines so many concepts and themes that we were raised on and around. People who enjoy Adult Swim shows like Rick and Morty and The Venture Bros. would definitely dig this. Pro Wrestling fans both old and new will eat it up. A segment of superhero fans will enjoy it because, let's face it, wrestlers are super heroes at their core. It's right in the neighborhood of people who love HBO's Peacemaker. Basically anyone who likes bizarre, respectful mashups is going to find some joy in this.
Q: What else are you working on?
JB: I've been polishing a concept about a reverse X-Files unit that creates and uses Cryptids to cover for the government testing top secret technology. Basically the documentary "Mirage Men" but with American Monsters.
Writing comics in the late 00s led to a ton of ideas that had to be shelved and they're always waiting to come off the bench. I revisit them now and again, trying to figure out how to update them -- a joke about someone trying to assassinate Vice President Dakota Fanning doesn't land like it did in 2008.
