Q&A with Jamie Me
We're a bit partial to a comic by Jamie Me - they are wild and entertaining. He's also struck up a budding partnership with Neri Rearte who is a fantastic artist. Anyway, Jamie - the man behind Start Again, Queen and Fabled Four - consistently produces good comics. Good enough that we'd class him as one of our favourite UK writers. We always keep an eye out for that next Kickstarter!
Talking of the next Kickstarter, Jamie has a new comic coming out soon - B-Mecha! You can sign up for the Kickstarter pre-launch for B-Mecha here. With Jamie writing and Neri working on the art, it's bound to be an entertaining ride that'll look gorgeous. Sign up to get notified when it goes live in February.
With that in mind, let's get onto some questions about B-Mecha, Start Again and more.
You have a new comic, B-Mecha, heading to Kickstarter soon. What can you tell us about it?
Jamie: B-Mecha is a story about Michael Kaye and his growing frustration with the world. He pilots a giant robot, called a B-Mecha, and fights giant monsters called Kaiju that can appear and attack at any time. It’s stressful and requires a lot of bravery, but the media are constantly attacking him because of a perception that he’s reckless.
If you ever feel like throwing up the middle finger at anonymous internet trolls and those who generate drama for self-gain then you’ll love the message. I mean it’s written right there on the cover: Go fuck yourself.
You’ve worked with Neri Rearte for Start Again and Queen previously, so it must have been a no brainer to work with him again on B-Mecha. How’s that writer/artist relationship developing? Is this a partnership we can expect to see more of going forward?
Jamie: I feel like I’m one of the luckiest comic creators on the planet. I work with Neri Rearte and Archie Dait on the majority of the comics I write. We’ve developed a synergy that you just can’t get without time invested.
I think one of the biggest, and accidental, benefits Neri and I have is how similar we are. He loves big fight manga and we bring that energy to comic books as a team.
Everyday I thank the universe that we randomly paired up with Neri. He’s the best. We've worked together for three years now.
I hope Archie and I get to meet the Rearte family one day too.
Are there any plans to revisit the Start Again universe in the future?
Jamie: The START AGAIN series has never been more popular. The vast majority of enquiries I get are about it. I love it. It’s incredibly flattering. I was at Thought Bubble, a comic con, and a store put a trade order in for half of the stock I had with me for the title.
Incredible stuff. Never seen anything like it.
We’ll be back with the volume next for the first arc. It’s going to feature some new content too. I’m seeing it as a celebration and my first sequential graphic novel.
How would you describe your writing process for a series? Is it different for each series?
Jamie: I like to get into the heads of characters. I want everything to feel as authentic as possible. That’s why each series is so distinctly different even if they share the same themes at times.
I study what people are REALLY like.
One of the greatest compliments of START AGAIN, that I had recently, was from a lad who said the characters sounded “just like” his mates. With him living locally that means I’ve done my job correctly.
What would you say is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt from making comics?
Jamie: Chasing after likes is a poisoned chalice. You have to be true to yourself in your work and how you present yourself. Comic readers are incredibly smart. They can see through those who are just sounding off online all day versus those who are actually putting the effort into their craft.
What can you tell us about your future comic plans?
Jamie: 2022 is going to be a really exciting year. I hope everyone reading will join me and those I work with on the adventure. We’re going to finish Fabled Four, Queen and start working on new comics where Archie Dait is the writer and I’m the editor.
I never take any of the support for granted and I know that you have to continually earn the privilege of support from comic readers. Give me a shot and I won’t let you down!
For more from Jamie Me, check out his Twitter (@JamieMeWrites), Facebook (@JamieMeWrites), Instagram (@jamiemewrites) and his recently launched YouTube channel (also @JamieMeWrites) where for some more comic conversation.
As for comics, head over to Jamie Me's Comic Library (gumroad.com)
