DF Interview: Jeff Lemire brings his next major comics project to BOOM! Studios with ‘Minor Arcana’

By Byron Brewer

Theresa, the daughter of a small-town "psychic" fraud, returns home to care for her ailing mother, however begrudgingly.

But when Theresa discovers that there may be more to the magic than she originally believed, she'll find herself caught up in a town that desperately needs her help…

One of the most renowned creators in comics, New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer and artist Jeff Lemire (Descender, Black Hammer) arrives at BOOM! Studios with an extra-length opening chapter of a must-read ongoing series inspired by, and intricately linked to, the Tarot and perfect for fans of his creator-owned work. I was aboard from the first and what an honor it is to discuss this series with my friend, Jeff Lemire.

Byron Brewer: Jeff, tell readers how your “dream project”, your creator-owned ongoing series Minor Arcana, came about. Your solicitation discussions about it exude your enthusiasm and excitement!

Jeff Lemire: Minor Arcana was an idea that percolated for a long time and really developed slowly, which is not always the case with books. But, in this case, it really befitted the series because, by the the time I actually started drawing it, I had been living with the idea for over a year, and it felt fully formed. 

The idea itself sprung up from another series I was working on called Fishflies. There was a character in that series who visits a small town “fortune teller” and I had so much fun with that scene that it started to expand into new ideas. I was really fascinated by the idea of all these storefront psychics you see everywhere, especially in small towns, and the people who come to trust them and rely on their advice. The idea of using a character like this as the center of a story about community and family really inspired me.

As I started to research psychics, palm reading, Tarot reading, etc., more and more story ideas and character ideas started to spring up and snowball around the central concept. The Tarot in particular became a real focus. It’s so rich with symbolism, imagery and archetypes it just feeds stories. The idea that the people in this small town all embody one of the archetypes or characters from the Tarot was the final piece I needed. Everything really came together after that.

Byron: Why the decision to both write and draw this book yourself?

Jeff Lemire: I debated if this would be one I drew myself or not, but the more I got into developing the series, the more it became clear to me that this project had the opportunity to be something really special and I was already sketching and designing the characters in my notebooks, so it just felt right. It gives me the opportunity to draw all the things that play to my strengths.

I’m writing, drawing, and painting the monthly book myself, so that is a huge time commitment. For me, coloring the book myself is the most challenging part, but also the most rewarding. I’ve already seen my painting skills leap dramatically since beginning. Since I am generally very busy, with multiple projects for multiple publishers, I had to make sure I was really ready to commit to doing Minor Arcana. But in the end, there was no other project I wanted to spend my days working on. The story itself has just flowed out and new ideas keeps coming all the time, so I’m definitely in this one for the long haul.

Byron: Long haul – Great to hear that term associated with a comic again!… With books like Sweet Tooth and Essex County, the worlds which you created virtually (if not actually) became characters unto themselves. What can you tell readers about the canvas, the world upon which you are about to place us for, I take it, a nice long ride?

Jeff Lemire: Minor Arcana takes place in the town of Limberlost, a small town on the edge of a large body of water. It feels very much connected to places like Essex County and Royal City.  My goal here is to use Theresa and her story as the hub for a larger story about an entire community and town.

Byron: Please introduce us to Theresa and her family.

Jeff Lemire: Theresa is the estranged daughter of a phony small town “psychic” and Tarot reader who returns home to take care of her ailing mom only to learn that she may have the real psychic abilities her mom has only been pretending to have. Now she finds herself deeply connected to the very town and people she’s spent her life running from.

Moreover, she soon realizes that everyone in the town seems to embody one of the archetypes from the Tarot and there may be even more going on than she ever could have imagined.

Byron: Interestingly, while Tarot cards play a role in both Theresa’s family and apparently the “magic” of her small hometown, they also form a delightful framework for the major story arcs coming in Minor Arcana. Tell readers about this very creative story AND collection method, and how you (it is assumed) came up with it.

Jeff Lemire: As soon as I started researching and developing the book, I knew that the Tarot was an amazing device to use for both story ideas and for book design and overall series structure. The imagery, symbolism, and archetypes of the Tarot is just so rich. Each issue will have a Tarot Card variant by me that features another character in the book/town and the goal is to have an entire Tarot deck drawn by me when we finish. I’m also structuring the major arcs around the suits of the Tarot. So in the end we will have “The Book of Wands”, “The Book of Cups”, “The Book of Swords”, and “The Book of Pentacles”.  How many issues comprise each of these major “Books” depends on the overall length and success of the series, but I hope for this to be a long run.

Byron: This overall story seems such a deep dive (it IS an ongoing) into Theresa’s life – and her town’s – that I am going to ask a question I would ordinarily not on such a work; after all, a mystery is a mystery! BUT … will there be clues – and red herrings? – for readers to follow, gather or reject as realization after realization meets Theresa? Does Minor Arcana have this element?

Jeff Lemire: 100%.  Theresa’s story is just one story within many layers. There is plenty of mystery for the readers to unlock, but the good thing is I know where the story ends. I know where it’s all going, so I can seed things in early that will pay off along the way.  I very much have a plan.

Byron: Jeff, I think I know this answer, but are there any other projects in which you are involved that you would like to tell readers about?

Jeff Lemire: Minor Arcana will be my main focus for the foreseeable future, in terms of projects I am writing and drawing. But I am also writing a couple of new ongoing books for DC Comics that will likely be announced very soon. And I’m also continuing with Phantom Road at Image with the amazing Gabriel Walta.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Jeff Lemire for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Minor Arcana #1 from BOOM! Studios is slated to be on sale September 4!

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