Written by Colleen Bement, Editor
Mark those calendars for Valentine’s Day, 2025 when the trees will come alive at the book release of The Earl of Elm and the Countess of Conifer at the new Mutiny Comics & Coffee in Denver, CO. On your way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, stop by to meet the creators Elisa Sargent (When Baked Things Attack, Stanley Kaiju) and Daniel Crosier (Stanley Kaiju, the Adv. of the Enigma) with Kevin Waltz (Stanley Kaiju, Phantom 8 Tattoo). Grab your copy for only $15 and get it signed from 4pm to 6pm. They will tell you all about the feelings of plants and how they are in communities with themselves and us.
The book is gorgeous! The illustrations are amazing, which is not a surprise considering they came from these creative geniuses. And by the way, if you haven’t been to the new Mutiny Comics & Coffee, you’re in for a treat. It’s fresh and fun with all the charm it’s so well-known for. This new adventure shares the story about the Earl and the Countess when head into town with their pet mushrooms for one last festive romp of the season. As the Earl of Elm gets ready for his winter hibernation, the Countess of Conifer adorns her yuletide garments to celebrate the time of year. The book is for ages 2 and up.
Nerd Alert News had the chance to dive into the creation of The Earl of Elm and the Countess of Conifer with its writer, Elisa Sargent.
Colleen Bement: So, the story is about the adventures of anthropomorphic trees and their pet mushrooms? I don’t even know where to start! Who do we have to thank for the initial idea?
Elisa Sargent: When I have the chance to go to the mountains, I often think about the secret lives of trees. Do they feel jealousy, love, fear, or do they have emotions that humans don’t have? I also wonder what the trees think about us, and if they are curious about people and want to connect.
When Dan drew the portrait of the Earl of Elm on Christmas Day 2018, the story was able to tell itself. We just had to find their names. The portrait Dan created has the Earl dressed in a nice suit, posing for the artist, and looking back at the viewer. When I saw the Earl for the first time, I knew a little bit of their story, and that the forests were full of characters, relationships, and seasonal celebrations.
CB: There is so much talent involved in this book. How did the project come together?
ES: I wrote the poem for Dan shortly after he showed me the portrait of the Earl. He listened very carefully and when the story came to the barber finding an angry squirrel inside the Earls branches, he was hooked. He took the story and disappeared with it.
At the time we were working on our comic book Stanley Kaiju and the Subterranean Bunny Defenders, so our active focus was on completing Stanley. In the background, Dan was hand drawing the Earl of Elm and the Countess of Conifer in between the time spent on the comic pages. I did not see the book until he completed most of the illustrations.
It took us a while to decide on how and who to color the book. When Kevin Waltz finished coloring our Stanley Kaiju comic, with the incredible depth and character he provided to that project, we knew he would be able to bring the joy and life to the Earl of Elm and the Countess of Conifer. We were able to get a bit of his time and with each page, Kevin was able to enhance the spirit of the story with his incredible talent.
CB: What do you think children are going to love the most about this book?
ES: Learning about the secret lives of trees. I hope the colors and illustrations fascinate them and when they go to the mountains in the fall, or around midwinter after the leaves have fallen, they will be able to see the Earl and the Countess. I hope that they look on the branches for pet mushrooms and search the forest floor for evidence of celebration.
Event information here.
Keep up with the creativity at whenbakedthingsattack.com.
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