‘The Comic Shop’ Is The Blerd Comedy We Need – Interview With Cheyenne Ewulu
Last week, the talented Cheyenne Ewulu, renowned for her writing, acting, and host skills, delighted the web by unveiling a teaser for her comedic show titled The Comic Shop. While the teaser serves as a glimpse into her show, it has undeniably struck a chord with viewers on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, garnering an impressive 1-million views across all platforms.
Ewulu and the director of the project, our good friend Robert Butler and his production company Burning Ashes, hosted a screening of a “proof of concept” video that Ewulu shot, which is 13 minutes long and is essentially the first act of the full pilot script.
I had the chance to attend the event and the energy in the room was incredible, especially as the screening commenced. After watching the episode, I wanted to call every studio I knew to tell them that it’s time to go ahead and put in a series order because it was that good.
The Synopsis for The Comic Shop
Rather than going to graduate school, a former engineering major opens up her own Comic Book store in the heart of Los Angeles with her quirky friends. Ewulu portrays Stephanie, while the role of Keith is played by voice actor Zeno Robinson, and Dominique is played by Shanae Cole.
Check out the interview with Cheyenne Ewulu about The Comic Shop below:
What was the inspiration for creating this show?
I have been a comic book/superhero fan for a long time, and I love writing comedies. I have always wanted to create a workplace comedy—The Office is my biggest inspiration. And I thought a comic store would be the perfect setting for one. Comic stores are the heart of the nerd community. It’s a nerd safe haven, at least that’s how it feels for me. It’s about time they got their shine. I have hopes that a show like this will also bring newcomers into the world of comics as well! It’s hard to envision yourself in these spaces when you never see people that look like you.
What was your initial reaction after seeing how positive everyone was towards the trailer?
The internet can be a scary place! You never know how folks are gonna perceive you or your project. Comic fans especially can be iffy…(as a comic book reader, I know) so when I saw that it was being well received on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram I was so happy. People see the vision. They can feel this is coming from an authentic place too. Especially my fellow Black nerds.
What are some comedies and shows that you were inspired by?
The Office is my biggest inspiration. The wild, outlandish type of humor it gave us was unmatched. Same for Community. The scenarios in that show were so wild. Dungeons & Dragons? Paint ball tournaments? These are things you would never expect to happen in a community college. They really pushed the envelope and I want to kinda follow that lead. Yea, it’s a comic store, yea it’s a small business…but I wanna throw in stuff that you would never expect to happen in a comic shop or small business. I want the audiences to be like, “WTF??” But also, “Yeah I guess that makes sense.”
Any advice for creators that want to tell their own stories?
Just do it! I know it sounds cliche but it’s really the truth. And find your crew. Everyone that worked on this trailer with me is either a friend or friend of a friend. Folks who just wanted to make cool shit. You don’t need a huge studio budget. If you don’t see it…make it.
