About 85 million years ago, a cruise-ship sized meteor hurled itself into what is now Wetumpka, Alabama. Traveling at about 10-20 miles per second, the impact was roughly 175,000 times that of Hiroshima and tossed debris as far as the present-day Gulf of Mexico. All things told, it was a bad day to be a dinosaur.
While an epic story like that ought to inspire some town pride (perhaps a solid mural or two), no one could have expected what local FX artist Mike Uhlir came up with.
Namely, the comic book series “StarFell”. A story in which an army of monsters rode in on that ancient meteor. And then, vintage ‘60s style, awoke to wreak havoc on “Starfell”, a town closely modeled on Wetumpka.
Curious to learn more, I made the trip to Wetumpka to meet Mike, check out the places his pen waged war on the town, and learn about a mysterious mutant catfish named “Fat Lance”.
So, to be clear, you decided to create a comic book series (“StarFell”) about aliens destroying Wetumpka because…you love the town?
[laughs] Yes, I definitely love Wetumpka. This place is beautiful.
I grew up in south Florida, so I’ve watched the landscape of my childhood turn into strip malls. When I moved to Alabama and discovered this town, it felt like finding what I’d lost long ago.
As for the monsters in the comics, this town’s resilient. Even after a tornado in real life, it rebuilt itself even better. In the wake of the invasion, StarFell (the town’s name in the comics) will do the same thing.
I should add that this isn’t just me. I’m the creator, writer, and storyboarder, but it’s a team effort. Lucas does the art, Guilherme the coloring, Tiffany the editing, and Leo the lettering.
Above: The Elmore County Museum in Wetumpka.
Below: The comic book version.
Did you approach the city first? Was it awkward to explain that you were about to create a bunch of art showing their town in ruins.
Yeah, I went and introduced myself at places like the mayor’s office and the museum.
I showed them what I had created and explained that I was going to treat the town with as much respect as possible. There’s nothing vulgar. I mean, it’s a horror comic, so there’s some gore. But I was clear that I wouldn’t make something that I wouldn’t let my own kid read.
Everyone was really excited about it and supportive. The local bookstore, Sweet Home Books, carries “StarFell”. I think everyone immediately knew that the comics were made out of love.
Where did the idea for the alien invasion come from in the first place?
Before all the HGTV show renovations, I was walking by the old Fain movie theater, and it reminded me of that scene in the 1950s movie “The Blob” where the Blob is pouring out of the theater.
Couple that with the meteor crater and the aesthetic of the town, and it all screamed ‘60s sci-fi.
It all flooded into my head one afternoon.
The meteor is starting to get more attention now. They have tours and historic markers. But when I first got interested, none of that existed, so I just started exploring.
So you can see this meteor crater, right?
Oh yeah, it’s huge. It’s everywhere.
The best spot is probably the Bibb Graves Bridge, which is a gorgeous piece of architecture, where you can see the rocks, angled from the impact, jutting out of the river.
It seems like the meteor and the town became a bit of an obsession for you. Can you explain some of the missions you went on?
The meteor is starting to get more attention now. They have tours and historic markers. But when I first got interested, none of that existed, so I just started exploring.
For example, I found a road. It’s kind of treacherous, actually: it’s steep, there are no guard rails, the pavement is rough. Anyway, this road takes you right to the rim of the impact crater. It’s like you’re on a mountain, a mountain that shouldn’t even be here — the rest of the landscape is flat floodplains.
What about measuring the bridge?
That was my pandemic project: creating a computer-animated intro for StarFell, visually anchored on Wetumpka’s iconic bridge.
I have a severe level of OCD about some stuff, so I digitally rebuilt the bridge down to the actual bolts, the electrical wires, everything. I had to do historical research to determine the height of the bridge. I measured the light poles by hand. I made texture maps of the pillars. The list goes on.
Of course, I also worked in a giant monster tentacle chasing a car across it.
How long did that take?
The whole process took about a year. It was during the pandemic, so there wasn’t a whole lot else going on.
I incorporated all kinds of mutated local natural history. My Godzilla monster, the final boss character, is a giant catfish named “Fat Lance”.
But it’s not just places in Wetumpka that show up in the comics, right? It’s all sorts of local stuff?
As much as possible, I modeled the town of StarFell after Wetumpka.
So, for example, Wetumpka has an indigenous, endangered snail — the Tulotoma Snail. It’s famous here. In the comics, that snail mutates into a big monster, but it’s still clearly the snail.
I incorporated all kinds of stuff — the blackberries, the kudzu, the rocks deposited by the meteor. My “Godzilla” monster, the final boss character, is a giant catfish named “Fat Lance”. It has some gnarly tentacles and frog legs so that it can walk around on land.
The giant catfish is named “Fat Lance”? I back that. It has a Ghostbusters ring to it.
[laughs] Thanks. In all these Southern small towns, it seems like there’s a mythological fish that everyone is trying to catch. And they always give it a nickname. Like, “Big Rog(er)”, or something.
I mean, c’mon, Wetumpka was even the filming location for the movie, “Big Fish”.
In the books, the locals are all trying to catch this catfish, “Fat Lance”. But then Fat Lance mutates and the kids have to fight him.
Above: Wetumpka’s Court Street.
Below: Same spot except…giant, mean-eating catfish.
Where’d you get the name?
Growing up, one of my best friends was named Lance. He’s still one of my best friends today.
But my brother’s name is also Lance. So that’s how we separated the two — one of them was “Lance”, the other was “Fat Lance”. So it’s a tribute to him.
Does your friend know about this?
I already told him.
Well…hang on, I think I told him. I definitely told him about the catfish, but I don’t remember about the “Fat” part. Shoot, well…now I’ve told him. [laughs]
Nah, I’m just joking, he doesn’t care. He knows it’s done in love.
Above: Wetumpka’s first jail, the “Old Calaboose” (1820).
Below: The comic version.
[laughs] What other places around Wetumpka did you explore for the comics? Turn up any cool stories?
Oh yeah, all kinds of stuff.
It used to be the wild west around here. In the late 1800s, there was an area of town known as “The Dark and Bloody Square”. People were committing all these dark and heinous acts, executing people in the streets. It’s straight out of a Stephen King novel.
I need to give a shout out to Sharon at the museum. She’s been a huge help.
Is that “Dark and Bloody Square” thing going to make it into the comics?
Again, I should emphasize that Wetumpka is a great place. But yes, I will probably work it in somewhere.
So, you’re several years and three comic books into this thing now, and it seems like you still have a ways to go. When does this end?
Oh, this could take me decades. It’s the creative project of my life.
That’s a serious undertaking. What’s the motivation to take on something so expansive?
A few years back, one of my childhood friends passed away. He was the same age as me; we grew up together.
So I started dwelling on it and thinking about my own mortality. And what struck me most was that he didn’t leave anything of himself behind.
I realized that all my memories were going to be gone one day too, washed from the world forever. That was crushing.
That childhood friend of mine — he’s going in the books. It’s him — his name, everything. I’m preserving my memories of him. The same goes for my grandmother, my mother, my father, all these important people and places in my life.
That’s the important thing, I believe: leave your mark on this planet during your time. That’s the only way your life and memories live on.
Including “Fat Lance”?
[laughs] Yep, including Fat Lance.
Keep up with StarFell on FB or Insta or the web.
Want to buy a copy? Hit up Wetumpka’s bookstore, Sweet Home Books.
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