Category Archives: interviews

contributors, interviews

The Martian Chronicles of Julian Darius, Part I

Julian DariusThis past month, Sacred and Sequential had the opportunity to chat with Julian Darius, President & Founder of the Sequart Organization and creator of Martian Comics from his own Martian Lit imprint. With the release of the Kickstarter-funded Martian Comics #3 and its intriguing religious content, he talks with us about the wide range of thinking behind his (not-so-)alien tales.

S&S: Before we focus on the most recent Martian Comics #3, perhaps you could outline what “Martian Mythology” is and what was involved in producing these works?

JD: The “Martian mythology” is essentially the backstory of the whole series. Back when I founded Martian Lit, I thought it would be funny to have it actually run by Martians, and I worked up this backstory of planetary orders, an enlightenment program (that included Jesus and others), the cloaking of Mars’s cities, and the sort of vague threat that the Martians are still debating and split over whether to invade. There was a lot of detail for what was essentially a complex joke.

When Kevin Thurman pitched me on what became “The Girl from Mars,” it was wedded to this backstory I’d worked up for Martian Lit. As we collaborated on the early “Girl from Mars” chapters, I began expanding this backstory and writing these other Martian stories. It’s kept growing. It’s really because of this that the series is called Martian Comics — a throwback to titles like Adventure Comics and whatnot — and wasn’t titled The Girl from Mars. Initially, “Martian mythology” was a way of separating this backstory I’d created and was exploring in these side stories from “The Girl from Mars.” “Martian mythology” is kind of the backbone of the series — “The Girl from Mars” is the first story, the first window into that mythology.

But this “Martian mythology” has kept growing. There’s a map of stories waiting to be told, whole arcs of Martian history, ways in which themes echo throughout the stories and into the various more narrow stories, like “Girl from Mars.” It’s a pretty vast thing, which I’ve kind of put together over the past several years and keep adding to.

Martian Comics #3 Continue reading The Martian Chronicles of Julian Darius, Part I →

interviews, online

Talking with Charles Schneeflock Snow on SORDID CITY BLUES

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Since 2003, Charles Schneeflock Snow has been writing and drawing Sordid City Blues, which chronicles the lives of young urban adults faced with difficult questions of relationships and faith. Sacred and Sequential met with Mr. Snow in a comfortable corner of the Internet to discuss his work and his recent resumption of the series after a five-year hiatus.

Sacred and Sequential:  Thanks for talking with us, Charles. Let’s start with the most straightforward question: What motivated you to write Sordid City Blues?

Charles Schneeflock Snow: It’s an obsession. I worry about sex and religion a lot (both by themselves and in combination). Drawing comics is the main way I cope with things that worry me, so here we are.

S&S: What kind of response to your work do you get (or expect to get) from readers who identify as Christians? How might this response be said to differ from that of other audiences

Snow: Well, I know some Christians who like the comic, and identify with the characters’ lives. Which doesn’t differ too much from the response of more secular readers, honestly. But SCB doesn’t have much penetration into Christian culture – there’s a long list of doctrinal and moral prerequisites you need for that that I could never live up to.

Which is fine. I’d never want SCB to be a “Christian” comic. Christian is a fine noun, but a terrible adjective.

From SORDID CITY BLUES Continue reading Talking with Charles Schneeflock Snow on SORDID CITY BLUES →

cultural, from the Internet, interviews

David Herman Talks about “Sabraman”

Back in December, a reporter for Artuz Sheva talked with David Herman, the man behind the creation of Sabraman, “the first Hebrew-speaking superhero.” (The Jewish Press qualifies that Herman solicited Sabraman from artist Uri Fink; that article appears to be written by Mr. Herman himself, incidentally.) Click in the video link below for that interview, the future of Sabraman, and the musical ventures of Mr. Herman.

controversy, from the Internet, interviews

“A War of Mythologies”: Jordanian Comic Creator Tackles Extremism

Captain America’s not-so-humble premier was a deliberate propaganda piece for American youth in 1941. With the iconic super-punch to Hitler’s face on the cover of Captain America Comics #1,  superheroes became patriots. Nationalism’s partnership with super-heroism still thrives today. With the slate of Marvel films to include Captain America: Civil War in 2016, film audiences can expect to take sides in the battle between Iron Man and Captain America over the limits of patriotism, freedom, and the great responsibility that great powers entail. This would appear to be the inevitable outcome when we imbue superheroes with our conflicting and imperfect moral ideals.

In a November 28th New York Times profile piece, Danny Hakim framed the recent comic creations of Suleiman Bakhit as explicit entries into a similar and ongoing propaganda war against Islamic State recruitment. Bakhit’s TEDtalk on “Superheroes Against Extremism” argued that this is a war over narratives about Islam, identity, hope, and justice. Superheroes must play their part. So where is the ‘Captain America’ for Muslim children that promotes tolerance? “Where,” as he was asked by children in Syria, “is the Arabic Barbie and Superman?” His comics are meant to be answers to these questions. Watch his TEDtalk for yourself:

As he explains, his first attempt, Saladin 2100,  met fierce opposition from censors in the Jordanian government who called his comic “too dangerous.” A second attempt, Hero Factor, seems ready to navigate the political waters with more nuance. Following in Captain America’s footsteps, Bakhit hopes his superheroes can be a way to oppose extremism. Persuasive stories will be the key to the development of morals and identities that reject narratives used by extremists to recruit members. Following the work of James Gilligan, a psychiatrist that argued that unhealthy shame is the root of all violence, Bakhit proposes that comics are the “best technology we have to cultivate heroic imagination.” It is this imagination, rooted in our common humanity and search for meaning, that can provide healthy responses to shame that generate love, compassion, tolerance, and true heroism.

Keep your eyes peeled for his comics as they make the (slow) transition into English. In the meanwhile, read more about Bakhit and his efforts here from Wired (UK), Forbes, and this TED blog interview. Or follow him on Twitter @suleimanbakhit.

from the Internet, interviews

Expletives and Sacrilege with Nick Marino and “Holy F*ck”

Over at Comic Bastards, Dustin Cabeal sat down with the writer of Holy F*ck Nick Marino  about his and artist Daniel Arruda Massa’s “sacrilegious satire sprinkled with action and adventure.” As the Marino explains:

From my perspective, this is really Sister Maria’s story. She’s the one who finds Jesus. She’s the one who brings him to Satan. She’s the one who’s actively going after the mythological gods and trying to stop their oppressive agenda.

However, if that’s too heady for you… LOOK!!!!! Jesus and Satan with big guns! Zeus and Isis with nuclear missiles! Nudity and profanity!!!

If that’s your cup of tea, click here for more.