Spirit in a Material World: Comic Book Writer Christopher J. Priest

PART ONE:

He could almost be considered the Elijah Snow of the comic book industry-the guy in the back of all the photos, the name you never noticed on some truly good (and truly scary) comics, the shadow disappearing down the stairs. Now looking back on two decades in the comics industry (he was a founding father of Milestone Comics and was among the first African-Americans to write nationally published comics at Marvel in the late '70s/early '80s), Christopher J. Priest (the artist formerly known as Jim Owsley) works quietly on Marvel's sleeper sensation Black Panther, serves a community "within walking distance of NORAD" as a non-denominational minister and contemplates how much he's willing to bother with comics after imbroglios with both DC and Marvel's office politicians, a failed marriage and a number of failed lunges at the fabled brass ring. Two things are certain-he is not British fiction writer Christopher Priest (who he has met, however) and calling him "Chris" is a sure way to end up on his Unhappy List. He graciously agreed to an interview with NPO, sharing his thoughts on race, publishing and the secret history of comic books from the comfort of his Rocky Mountain compound.

HT: Your name's something of a conundrum-in 1993 you changed it from Jim Owsley to Christopher Priest, but generally won't talk about why.

PRIEST: I decline to talk about the name change, because it was done for personal, family reasons and really has nothing to do with comics. I actually considered continuing to write as "Jim Owsley," but I thought that would be disingenuous.

HT: After years of East Coast living, you find yourself in Colorado. Why the change?

PRIEST: I like the view. It really is that simple. I used to live in New York, and this is a big change from subways and taxi cabs.

HT: Many people create for different reasons-a compulsion, a need to express a certain idea, self-obsessiveness or what have you. Why do you?