A Conversation with BIX Creator Scott Chantler
This interview was conducted by Chris Doucher, Editor-in-Chief, Writer and Comic Panel Moderator for GeekNerdNet. (Image credits to: Scott Chantler and GeekNerdNet)
Cartoonist, Scott Chantler, at Calgary Expo 2022. (photo credit: Chris Doucher/GeekNerdNet.com)
Recently, at the 15th anniversary of the Calgary Expo, I sat down and chatted with cartoonist Scott Chantler. His newest work, BIX—officially released two years ago—but due to the pandemic didn’t see its full launch come to be until 2022, as many conventions and shows are finally back to their regularly scheduled time slots and duration. As Chantler says, “It’s still kind of my new book—in a way.” The book is based on the true life of legendary 1920’s jazz musician Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke. To say this book is an absolute gem, would be a massive understatement. You can’t help but be drawn in (no pun intended) to the stunning way Chantler presents the story of Bix, which does an incredible job of visualizing music in comic form. Chantler talks about what led him to wanting to tell a story in this way, in that the panels of this book bounce up and down like musical notes. It’s simply gorgeous work. But it didn’t come without its challenges. Chantler talks about how he initially built the story—almost improvising it together—as he (due to the jazz angle) started with thumbnails before he even had a script. Hit play on the full interview (below) and listen to Chantler tell more of the BIX backstory, as well as some fun conversation about previous works of his. Spoiler alert: It’s a super fun interview!
Some of Chantler’s other great works, include his Eisner-nominated graphic novel: Two Generals, the True Patriot Canadian comic series, his stunning Bettie Page cover art via Dynamite Comics, and more. Just click on his name at the start of this piece to find past works, as well as BIX on his site.
