A Borderless World – Johnnie Christmas Talks Tartarus

Sometimes a book hits with such impact it practically knocks you back. That’s the feeling I got when I read Tartarus, a new series debuting on February 12th from Image Comics. Writer Johnnie Christmas, artist Jack T. Cole, and letterer Jim Campbell have put together an incredible sci-fi ride, taking us through a dramatic, action-packed adventure full of heart, drama, and downright toughness. I had a chance to speak with Christmas about the project.

A new adventure series with all the sci-fi drama of Breaking Bad set in Mos Eisley! Promising young cadet Tilde is framed for crimes against the empire after discovering her mother was the ruthless warlord of the deadly colony Tartarus, a vital player in the galactic war. Now, Tilde’s only way home may be to reclaim her mother’s dark crown.
James Ferguson: Tartarus features an interesting blend of sci-fi and dystopian elements. It’s like we reached for the stars but didn’t quite make it all the way. How would you describe this landscape?
Johnnie Christmas: You put it perfectly. Tartarus is a place that was built during boom times, a drilling rig so successful it grew into a colony. But where our story begins we see it long after its heyday: In the wake of recession and war, so things aren’t optimal. Though I also wanted to add a bit of the “eye of the beholder” element to it as well. One of our characters in issue #2 describes Tartarus as beautiful and I find most dystopian sci-fi is. Sorta like my neighborhood growing up, I thought it was fine, you could say it was not optimal, but I liked it. It was only when I had friends visit that I was told that it was a “bad” neighborhood. So you’ve got all the fun sci-fi world building, great tech, and dazzling innovation. But still they’re plagued by the all-too-human stuff we’re so familiar with in the present: war, want, factions, and struggles for power. Aspirational and reflective at the same time.

JF: Where does Surka come from? She’s an absolute powerhouse and pretty impressive from the jump.
JC: The mystery of Surka’s origins will be explored as we go further along in the series. She’s one of my favorite characters. I think of her like a hurricane. I grew up in Florida and when the storms come, you have to batten down the hatches. You live your whole life knowing this and when they do come, you’ve still got 2, 3 days to prepare. No sweat, right? Well, all your preparation still might not make a difference, the storm still might blow your house over. Surka is that storm. She’s such a force that when she shows up, god help you.

JF: As interesting as Surka is, her daughter Tilde presents a completely different perspective. How did her character come together, contrasting with her mother?
JC: With Tilde we’re exploring nature vs. nurture. We first see Surka, the unstoppable force that gave birth to Tilde. But when we meet Tilde, she’s a kind-hearted farm girl just being exposed to a larger universe. I wanted to play with the idea of someone who’s raised away from conflict (although raised by one of Surka’s lieutenants, Sze, who teaches her the ways of combat) suddenly thrown right into the heart of a conflict that was brewing long before she was born. Surka made her choices. The theme of the series is seeing what Tilde will choose and where she’ll end up. Will she become a second Surka? Will she surpass her mother’s infamy? Or will she turn it around and be a peacemaker? I’m having a blast exploring this through writing and I hope the readers will too.

JF: The design for Tartarus is impressive with entire worlds and space stations on display. How did the look and feel of this come about?
JC: Jack and I talked a lot about what we’d like to see and the themes we’re exploring. But when it came down to what you see on the page, that’s all Jack. His design of the world is nothing short of amazing.

JF: Tartarus is more than just an intriguing sci-fi story. I understand there’s a mix of African myth and tradition in here as well. How did you blend these elements together?
JC: I’ve been a massive mythology and folklore fan for as long as I can remember. I rather enjoy when seemingly disparate cultures from half a world away have stories that seem to echo each other. Stories about life, death, love, separation, feast, famine, banishment. Sometimes heroes and stories are eerily similar. I think they call this ”comparative mythology”. In Tartarus there are lots of such overlapping mythologies. Obviously Greek mythology, but African-American folklore overlaps as well. Death and rivers are all over both. I thought a lot about funeral rites of African descended people as reflected through Christianity. The experience of a funeral in a Black church.
Biblical rivers, the five rivers of Hades, rivers in and out of the underworld. Acheron, the river of woe. The Mississippi River too was once a river of woe, a passageway in and out a dark American underworld. Meanwhile, the Detroit River was thought of as a passage into the legal safety in Windsor, Ontario.
Overlapping mythologies are in our characters as well. Surka being an example of Achilles (warrior of Greek Myth), Boadicea (A real Celt who’s life was mythic), and Annie Christmas (an African-American folkloric woman. 6’8” tall, who hell-raised and ass-kicked). It all blends together quite naturally. When it comes to stories, we live in a borderless world.
Comicon would like to thank Johnnie Christmas for taking the time to speak with us. Tartarus #1 is set for release on February 12th, 2020.