MA: Hello, I am the duck Mega Aflac, and I am here today to interview "Ducky Comics" creator Henry McEvoy.

HM: Hi Mega Alfac, as you know I am Henry from Ducky Comics!  I enjoy creating comics about chickens and ducks, and their epic struggle against the raccoons.  I have been noticed by 4-H chapters for my work, and will continue to create more.  I hope to partner with organizations like News 12.  Thanks to Morning Ag Clips, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Putnam County Sheriff Robert R. Langley, and Lancaster Farming.

MA: Tell me about some of your comics.

HM: Some of my comics are about a war between chickens/ducks and raccoons, and other comics are for informative purposes, like "How to Predator Proof your Chicken and Duck Coop."  I got inspired because I have chickens and ducks of my own.  Some of them include: Aflac, Beige Chica, and Fluffy.

MA: How long have you been doing comics for?

HM: I have been doing "Ducky Comics" since July 2020.

MA: What community do you support with your comics?

HM: I am helping to support the backyard poultry community, also known as the chicken-keeping community or duck-keeping community.    I provide information on backyard predators, such as raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and more.  I focus on these animals because they are in my area of the NYC suburbs in Westchester county, and other areas such as major cities.  Raccoons especially are everywhere!  Coyotes stay in the suburbs and rural areas, as well as foxes.  These predators are pretty widespread!

MA: What are your comics about?

HM: I make comics about chickens and ducks, and their struggle against predators like raccoons.  I have two predator-proofing comics that try to educate people on how to defend against predators in their area.  Each comic has featured three predators, and that is the way I intend to keep it.  The first comic was about hawks, dogs, and raccoons, this was released back in October.  The next comic talks about snakes, coyotes, and bears, I’m going to release it within the next month.  The next comic will talk about protecting against owls, foxes, and weasels, and this new comic will come out in April.

MA: Why are your comics important?

HM: My comics are important because people can constantly lose their birds, and it is not that hard to defend against these predators if you know how.  Losing birds can be heartbreaking, and also it is inconvenient because then the person will have to buy new birds.  I know this from experience, as I have lost lots of birds due to predator attacks.  The raccoon attacks have led me to try and help other people protect against predators. 

MA: How did you learn about protecting your flock from predators?

HM: There was a predator proofing book I read, “What’s Killing My Chickens” by Gail Damerow.  This book helped me understand which predator caused which attack, and also helped to identify other methods of protecting against them.  Ever since the first raccoon attack 2.5 years ago, I have gotten much better at protecting my birds.

MA: What helped you to make educational comics as well as the "lore" comics?

HM: Since I was already doing comics, as Ducky Comics (my comic brand), I wanted to make educational comics.  I make comics about chickens and ducks and raccoons, primarily.  I make them by drawing comics in pen, and then scanning them and uploading to a computer.  I use Pixelmator to edit them.  I have launched a fundraiser for 4-H using my comics.  I placed posters with QR codes around town, at places where people would walk. One of the places I put it up was a duck pond! 

MA: I went there, and I tried to eat all of the paper!  But it was too hard to eat!  What was the result of your fundraising efforts?

HM: The results of my efforts is that I got a few extra donors.  We got some money that went to fund 4-H.  My mom and I promoted the comic around town with posters, and my dad placed a link on his Facebook.  He was asking people to help fund the campaign through GoFundMe.com.  We raised $812, and I made a promise to donate all proceeds to New York State 4-H.  I will keep making more comics, in the hopes of entertaining and educating other 4-Hers.

MA: Thanks Henry for this interview, and what is next for you and "Ducky Comics?"

HM: Well, there is a hawk outside, and the hawk might try and kill my chickens, so I have to go save my flock.  Goodbye!