In the MYXJamie Chase
I talked to Jamie Chase several months ago, about his involvement with the comics collective 7000 BC. At the time, Jamie was finishing the second issue of MYX, parts of which were published in the anthology string. Recently, he created a video of MYX put it on YouTube. I followed up with Jamie to talk about the video, and MYX in particular. Sequential Tart: Why the title MYX? Jamie Chase: Mix, myth, mystery. I knew it would be an anthology series, so "Mix" seemed like a good word to suggest a spectrum, I wanted to revisit the MYthic archetypes of the horror/sci-fi genres, and I can't avoid an occasional MYstery Science Theatre 3000 smirk. ST: Tell me about the journey with launching the first issue of MYX? JC: Journey is a good word. The first story was inspired by a visit south of Cancun with my girlfriend and her family. The Mayan ruins, the sea caves, the tourist-driven economy. Being a tourist in a place where the deep and unknown powers of ancient gods are marketed to tourists. Places contain stories. If I had the budget, I would just travel to different locations and write and draw MYX stories. ST: What inspires the stories in MYX? JC: I can't speak for the guest writers Bram Meehan and Darryl Wellington, but the stories I write draw from somewhat classic themes of monsterdom mixed with autobiography and current events. The stories are short, 5 to 18 pages, and self-contained, so they are paced like fairy tales. I am intrigued by the rhythm set up between word and image, and the organic structure of MYX allows flexibility in the flow of text and pictures. There's an element of set-up/punch-line in short story construction. I have already been tempted to revisit characters and story arcs to see where they might go if expanded. ST: Each issue seems to have a theme, like the third issue focuses on alien worlds; is that intentional? JC: Synchronicity more than strategy, though I do see an issue inspired by dreams/nightmares. ST: Are there personal dreams/nightmares you want to explore, or more common ones? JC: Several, although I like to bring that mind to daily living, overlapping the known or fixed world with a layer of uncertainty, unpredictability, possibility. Dreams reveal wild visions, but rarely play out like "stories". Individual scenes from dreams can often be the seed for a narrative construct devised by the author/artist. After coffee. ST: How do you think the black and white element adds to horror? JC: Black and white is the ultimate visual expression of duality, extreme light vs. dark. In horror, darkness has the advantages — black ink is liberally used to convey shadows and suggestive menace. Black and white is the skeleton of comic art. Color is perhaps more seductive, more show business. Most writers work in black and white; it's more abstract, more conjuring. ST: What are the challenges and joys of drawing MYX in black and white? JC: I love black and white. It's the zen moment, ink and brush on paper, a very satisfying way to focus the attention. MYX is inspired by The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Creepy and Eerie magazines, all vintage black and white weird noir. ST: How did the video of MYX come about? JC: I had done trailers for other projects, Muse and Death, Cold as Steel, and even an earlier trailer for MYX. Mostly just to see what it would look like, and with the addition of music, sound like. In the newest MYX mix, I was trying to tighten the edits into a flicker of image bites that unfolded with a certain tempo. I tried several sound tracks, and the Steve Tibbets piece cued up with the visual breaks like magic. ST: Will MYX be bound in trade paperback sometime in the future? JC: I'm thinking after another issue or two of putting them all together into a trade. ST: Will you be doing any MYX issues in color? JC: I just did color treatments of MYX #3 stories, just for fun. Maybe I'll put them in the trade. ST: What else is coming up for next year, work-wise or conventions? JC: My main career is in the gallery world, so of course I will be painting, and future issues of MYX. Next convention is Phoenix Con next spring, at the 7000BC table, then Bubonicon in Albuquerque in the fall. If some other cool project comes along I'm always susceptible.
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