When “Wynonna Earp†premiered on the Syfy channel in 2016, few people outside of comics were familiar with the character or her creator, Beau Smith.
The comic book series had been around since the ‘90s, and Beau was well-known in the comics industry and around his hometown area of Huntington. But he was completely unknown in the television world.
Despite this and other obstacles, not only did “Wynonna Earp†make it to the TV screen, it became a hit show that developed a loyal following of fans who call themselves “Earpers.†Online communities sprang up, followed by conventions where fans would gather to celebrate their passion for all things Wynonna.
“The series went far beyond anything I’d ever dreamed of,†Beau said in a recent interview from his home in Ceredo. “All these years I was used to males liking my comics. That’s just the way comics has been. All of a sudden, Wynonna’s core audience was women 15 to 55. These were women who’d never read a comic book.â€
Decades before Beau Smith created Wynonna, he had a passion for comics. “I had a stack of comics before I started school, because they had great pictures,†he said.
Growing up in the West End of Huntington, he was fortunate to have a newsstand close by. “One of my best memories is walking with a friend several blocks to Nick’s News downtown. They had lots of comics. We’d make pilgrimages there looking for treasures.â€
Beau got hooked on Marvel Comics — then being helmed by Stan Lee. “When I was in sixth grade, my dad asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him I wanted to call Stan Lee. I had to explain to them who Stan was, that he was a comic book writer and editor. They tried to talk me into something more conventional — a record player, a bike, the usual stuff. I said, ‘Nope, I want to talk to Stan.’
“They found the phone number for Marvel Comics in New York, and, sure enough, they let me call. Remember, long distance calls were a big deal back then. They cost money. I called and Flo Steinberg, Stan’s assistant, answered the phone. She told me Stan was in the other room writing the latest issue of Spider-Man.
“She talked to me for 30 minutes, asking me what I did at school, what comic books I liked, and so on. I did not get to talk to Stan, but it was still a great experience.â€
About two weeks later, he got a package from Marvel. “I opened it up, and in it were some signed comics, a ‘Make Mine Marvel’ badge and a personal letter from Stan Lee. In the letter, he said Flo had told him I called, and he was sorry he couldn’t talk, but he’d been busy writing comics so I’d have something to read.
“I was thrilled and shocked beyond belief. I thought it had ended when I hung up the phone.â€
In the early ’90s, after Beau had begun working in comics, he had lunch with Stan at a Pittsburgh convention. “I told him the story about the call and the package. Of course, he didn’t remember it specifically, but he seemed genuinely thrilled that it had meant so much to me,†Beau said.
Breaking into the industry
Beau didn’t just read and collect comics. He was an incessant letter writer. “If I bought five comics, I’d write a letter to the editor of every comic giving my notes on the issue,†he said. “On average, I wrote five to 10 letters a week. Editors started to notice.â€
Murray Boltinoff, an editor at DC, started writing him back. “He thanked me for the notes, and asked if I’d like to write a letter for a new comic he had coming out. He said he would send me a Xerox copy of the comic so that the letter could be in the first issue.â€
Beau happily obliged. It was the beginning of a 37-year career — one that’s still going. Beau would eventually write comics for multiple publishers, including Marvel, DC, Image, and IDW comics. He also worked in senior marketing positions for Eclipse Comics, Todd McFarlane Productions and IDW. Along the way, he has worked as a writer on some of the most well-known brands in the world, including Batman, Spawn and Star Wars.
But he remembered advice he got early on from Joe Kubert, an artist and writer who had a long career in comics. “He told me it’s great to do stuff for Marvel and DC, but that at some point I should do my own characters and properties.â€
Beau listened. He began to create his own characters, which resulted in a female, gun-toting member of the Earp family taking center stage.
Wynonna’s road to stardom
After several false starts by Hollywood to option the character, Beau got a call one day from longtime friend Ted Adams. “I’ve known Ted for 30-some years. He and I both started at Eclipse Comics back in the ‘80s.â€
Adams said the Syfy channel was interested in optioning “Wynonna Earp.†By this time, Beau had grown a little skeptical of Hollywood. He said, “Great, let me know when something happens.â€
The break came when Adams called and said there was a showrunner and production company attached to the project. Turns out, Emily Andras, a Canadian television producer, had read the Wynonna comics, and said, “I can really do something with this.â€
Things became a whirlwind after that. “We started talking contracts, papers were signed and we were in production before you knew it,†Beau said. “I realized this was actually going to happen.â€
On the show, Canadian actress Melanie Scrofano plays Wynonna Earp, the great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp. At age 27, she inherits Wyatt’s gun, Peacemaker, and learns she has the power to return demons to Hell.
Scrofano plays Wynonna as scrappy, sardonic and tough, but also vulnerable. She can be a hot mess at times, struggling to keep it together. At these times, it falls to her family and friends to offer support and back her up.
“She gave the character a sense of humor, a quick wit that Melanie has in real life,†Beau said.
Andras kept Beau involved in the production process. “If they had a question, they’d call me,†he said. “I’d go up there to Canada, where the show was filmed. They were like family.â€
Future projects and the Inkpot Award
Although the show ended in 2021, Beau is still working with the “Wynonna Earp†family.
He has a new graphic novel coming out, “Stop-Watch,†that’s co-written with Melanie Scrofano, with art by Randy Green. It’s slated for a release later this year.
Also coming this year is “Apocalypse: Agents of Danger,†co-written by actor Tim Rozon, who played Doc Holliday on “Wynonna Earp.â€
“Tim is a lifelong comics fan,†Beau said. “This will be a five-issue mini-series set in the 1950s.†The artist will be fellow West Virginian Travis Smith (no relation).
Beau was a special guest at this summer’s San Diego Comic-con, the “largest comic show on the planet.†At the con, he was awarded an Inkpot Award for lifetime achievement in the field of comics and entertainment.
The honor caught him by surprise. “I’m still wrapping my head around it. If you would have told 12-year-old Beau in Huntington, West Virginia, that this would ever happen, my head would have exploded.â€
