What If? Stories launch 'Hendricks II' Kickstarter campaign

Fasten your seat belts... In 2019 I met with Rhys Wootton to discuss the creation of some teaser poster art for a couple stories clambering to make their way from my mind to the page.

Jaws inspired graphic novel Hendricks created by What If? Stories

Jaws inspired graphic novel Hendricks takes place in Perfection - created by What If? Stories

Amity and Perfection were based around a favourite side character of mine, Leonard Hendricks from the Jaws Franchise.

Actor Jeffrey Kramer played Deputy Hendricks in both JAWS and JAWS 2

I was an imaginative kid and a huge movie fan, often finding myself creating other story arcs for the lesser featured characters. I mused on stories about Old Man Marley (Home Alone), Mr Futterman (Gremlins) and a host of others, but it was Hendricks who I would fit into most of my plots. I had him as a 5th Ghostbuster, teamed him up with Indiana Jones (I know now the timelines don’t fit, but I didn't at the time!). 

Hendricks appealed to me because he is reliable, loyal and genuine - he is someone you can trust. He might not be the kind of character who would run towards danger but if forced he’d step up and do what was necessary.

Amity was the first story I wanted to tell. It focused on Hendricks and a conspiracy on Amity Island. It leaned into the angle that perhaps the mayor and his cronies knew more about the shark activity in the waters than the films had let on.

I imagined it as a far bigger story, but being new to comic creation I commissioned Rhys to do a shorter version to include in my fledgling comic book anthology series What If? Stories. 

Perfection was the 2nd story and it saw Hendricks leave Amity Island for a fresh start. He chose Perfection as his destination as it sounded inviting and was far from Amity. He would soon learn that no town is perfect while crossing paths with the land sharks (graboids).

These stories sparked people’s imagination and were well received. Realising that people were interested in my often imagined adventures of Leonard Hendricks, I decided to combine these stories into one book and create Hendricks issue 1. 

I was thrilled to find readers enjoy following this everyman on a road trip from hell through movie towns and seeing him rise to the challenges that will inevitably come his way.

Santa Carla is to be our next stop and we will see how Hendricks fares against the blood suckers that reside there - but I couldn’t quite resist one last swing by Amity Island. As I said when I wrote the first story, I had a lot more to say. I didn’t have the money to say it all, so I condensed the story just to get something out and test the waters. Now further down the line and with a growing fan base I wanted to give readers the full story.

And so Rhys and I have gone all out to tell something more in line with what I was imagining and to tie into issue 1. The process was not without its challenges, but finally I am pleased and proud to say that Hendricks issue 2 will be with us soon - I can't wait to share this with you!

It’s been a long journey to get to this point and many things unfolded that I never saw coming. For example: having the privilege of meeting Hendricks himself, Jeffrey Kramer. Knowing he is a fan of our comic series is a point of great pride and motivation for me.

What If? Stories creator Matt Stapleton with hendricks himself, JAWS actor Jeffrey Kramer

The outpouring of support has been more than I could have ever dreamt and I look forward to seeing how far the Hendricks journey can go.

If you would like to get on board with the adventures of Leonard Hendricks, then now is the time. 

Our Kickstarter has just gone live and there are a variety of different levels you can back us on - support the project and bag yourself both books! 

If you’re already a fan, get over and make sure you get your copy of Hendricks issue 2 as well as other limited-edition goodies.

Check it out by order of The Amity P.D https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whatifstoriesissue2/hendricks

Thanks for reading, thanks for your support, I drink to your legs!

Written by Matt Stapleton

Artwork by Rhys Wootton