David Sexton: Reigniting Marvel's Mystic FiresBy Tim O'Shea  David Sexton is poised to reignite interest in the vast mystical portions of the Marvel Universe with the upcoming Mystic Arcana project, which begins in June. As the project's architect, Sexton is spearheading an event that involves the likes of Louise Simonson (Magik), Roy Thomas (Black Knight), Jeff Parker (Scarlet Witch) and C.B Cebulski (Nico Minoru). SBC recently queried the writer via email regarding the project and its overall potential long-term impact. (Plus he straightened me out on my misuse of Hoggath. Curse me for a novice, indeed.)
Tim O'Shea (TOS): As the main architect of Mystic Arcana, can you explain what drew you to the magical/mystical element of the Marvel universe in particular?
DS: Mystic Arcana combines two things that have always completely fascinated me: myths and comic books. The first things I remember reading were comic books, but the first "real" books I remember loving were two books on mythology… D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths. Actually (on an "intersection of Myth and Comics" tangent) one of the first comics I remember reading was DC's Beowulf #3. I only had issue #3. I think the series only lasted to issue #4, but it made an impression on me. When I was in college I got very into Joseph Campbell and Jung. Their writings introduced me to the idea of the "archetype" and I realized that Myths and comics are really just manifestations of archetypes…as is the Tarot, which I also became fascinated with while I was in college. I've been lucky enough to have had some of my work in the world of Tarot published (The Tarot of Oz from Llewellyn Worldwide, and The Winged Spirit Tarot from US Games Systems) and this is an opportunity for me to bring some of what I learned about Tarot, myth and magic into my work for Marvel.
TOS: Stan Lee, in particular, had a penchant for concocting incantations and for lack of a better term, magic cuss words ("By the hoary hosts of hoggarth!"). Do you hope to develop some new magical incantations that will become catch-phrases, or opt to mine the wealth of ones established by previous writers that you uncovered researching for this project?
DS: I think your term, "magic cuss words" is actually a very good description. I might borrow it sometime. This is kind of a fascinating subject for me. Stan himself has indicated that much of Marvel's Mystic Mythology (I share Stan's love of alliteration) was created so that he would have stuff to rhyme together (i.e. vanish/Satanish.) BUT there is something more happening here.
Take for instance the Stan-u-factured name, "Oshtur". A little time studying Mythology and one is bound to come across the name of the chief Babylonian Goddess, Ishtar.  Ishtar is connected with the Goddess Venus and the planet Venus (aka the Eastern Star). They might know Ishtat, but most people are probably unfamiliar with the ancient Germanic Goddess of the Dawn and the Spring, Ostara. (though most recognize the Christian holiday that absorbed the ancient Pagan Holy Day named after the Goddess. Ostara means "Star of the East" or "East Star" and the arrival of spring still bears her name in the tradition of Easter.) Ishtar, Ostara…Oshtur. The "magic cuss word" turned out to be a name with mythic and historical clues in it that helped me to expand the character of Oshtur. Lots of the nonsense names are actually like that. Did Stan somehow absorb this information without being completely aware of it? Did he tap into what Jung refers to as "the collective unconscious"? Whatever he did, his stories and characters have lasted and I am trying to respect them wherever I can. PS – It's Hosts of Hoggath not Hoggarth. Lol)
TOS: It has already been established that Ian McNee (a character from a 1980s era Marvel Fanfare) will be featured in a quest for four magical objects story that will play out as 10-page back-up tales in all of the Mystic Arcana books. Will there be other obscure magical characters that will pop up in this quest that you are willing to reveal?
DS: Ashake probably gets the dubious prize for "Mystic Arcana's Most Obscure Character". She appeared on a single page of New Mutants #32. I always thought her brief appearance was a missed opportunity. Ashake is not just the physical twin of her ancestor of Storm, but an almost identical match to the Limbo bound sorceress Storm might have become. This was the woman who taught Illyana magic, the woman that Illyana eventually killed. Heavy psycho-drama! None of the subtext is even hinted at during the one page encounter. Luckily we got the wonderful writer and X-Legend (as opposed to ex-legend) Louise Simonson to write a story that skillfully expands and explores this moment. Other obscure characters… Hmmm. Ian's antagonist in issue #2 is Morgan le Fey. Though she is not obscure I tell the story from HER perspective and try to explain her motivation. Why does she hate Merlin and Camelot? #3 has the Vicious Fish-ish Femme Fatales, Nagala and Llyra (I told you I like alliteration.)
TOS: Not all artists can effectively convey the ethereal qualities prevalent in tales of magic, from your perspective what is it about Eric Nguyen's work that makes him a good fit for the project?
DS: I had seen a lot of Eric's work and I loved that he was so fearless and so versatile. His work can look edgy and abstract or it can look natural and classic. His style changes to fit the subject and the mood he is trying to create. I really think he is producing some of his best stuff on Mystic Arcana. I am thrilled. I hope we can work together on the Mystic Arcana sequel.
TOS: Has a Mystic Arcana sequel been approved or defined, or is editorial waiting to see how Mystic Arcana performs before proceeding further? Can you discuss any details of a potential sequel?
DS: The advance sales on Mystic Arcana #1 are very good. Much higher than expected, so the chances of a sequel are pretty good. We are kicking around a few scenarios. I just turned in the rough script for issue #4 and it has a really cool surprise ending that [editor] Mark P.[aniccia] and I came up with. It is a bit of a cliffhanger. I think readers will be really curious about what happens next.
 TOS: Given that there is such a rich history of magic in Marvel, were you surprised that no one had tried to tap into it with an event like Mystic Arcana before?
DS: I think Marvel has a very strong Sci-Fi vibe to it. Even magic concepts and characters have been morphed into Sci-Fi versions of themselves. Circe the Sorceress, for example, is one of the great witches of history, but she is Sersi the Eternal in the Marvel Universe. She's cool, but she isn't magic at all. She is a molecule manipulating immortal mutant. The second most recognizable magic user at Marvel (Dr. Strange being the first) is another example. Is the Scarlet Witch a witch? Some say yes. Some say no. The party line seems to be that she uses magic to better control and influence her mutant power, but the source of her power is a Sci-Fi based mutation. There are a lot of interesting Mystic and Mythic characters and concepts, but for whatever reason they don't get the focus they deserve. So I guess my answer is, "Not so much".
TOS: Are there any particular comic book writers that influence your approach toward the work?
DS: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell.
I remember reading Alan Moore's Swamp Thing and Miracleman and thinking this is LI-TER-A-TURE! In college I was only interested in reading the Classics and I got a little snobbish about fantasy/sci-fi/comics. A friend of mine gave me those 2 series to read and I thought WOW, a hundred years from now a College course on "the Classics" will include Alan Moore. Mystic Arcana owes a big debt to Promethea. I am trying to do something similar by integrating Magick and magical cultural, mythical concepts into a comic book, but where he invented the ABC Universe, I am trying to weave these ideas into the existing (extremely continuity bound) Marvel Universe.
Neil Gaiman is incredible. Nuff said.
P. Craig Russell is a writer who has been a big influence on me and he was the first artist whose work I fell in love with. If they are studying Moore's writings in future Classics classes then they should also be studying Russell's Art in their Art history classes. He combines Eisner's storytelling with his own distinctive Pre-Raphaelite/Comic Art style and is constantly looking for different ways to stretch the medium. I should say that I met Craig at a Comicon several years ago and we have become friends. Though he works constantly, he took the time to give me valuable lessons about storytelling and art and even collaborated with me on some of my early comic book stories. I am hoping his schedule frees up soon, so that we can work on a new project together.
TOS: In tapping into the magic of Marvel, it's allowed Marvel to bring some past fan favorite writers back to doing Marvel work, including Roy Thomas and Louise Simonson. As someone who clearly appreciates Marvel's rich history, how pleased were you to see folks like them get involved with the project?
 DS: I was really thrilled and excited. I love that the writers assembled for Mystic Arcana combine hot new talent like CB Cebulski and Jeff Parker with the fantastic experience of Louise Simonson and Roy Thomas. I grew up on Roy and Weezie. My editor, Mark Paniccia, has done a really wonderful job pulling together the perfect people for this project.
TOS: What sort of challenges did the project pose for you as a writer?
DS: I wanted to use the mythology that was already present in the Marvel Universe. I did not want to tack something on to what already existed. This meant doing a LOT of research, which I loved, but which was very time consuming. I want to acknowledge Erik F. Elzenaar and his site and Neilalien's site as two fantastic resources on Marvel Magic. I learned a lot from these two. Thanks guys!
So after I did the research I had all of this information and all these hypotheses that I wanted to share, but that can get really boring really fast. People aren't buying a comic book to get a dissertation on The Structure and Function of Myth and Magick in the Marvel Universe.
Luckily… as supplements to Mystic Arcana I am working on two other books for Marvel. The first is The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Mystic Arcana. It used to be OHOTMU: MAGIC, but Mystic Arcana was selling so well that they changed the name. I worked with Jeff Christiansen and his crew on this book. Those guys do such a great job on the Handbooks and this one follows in the fine tradition with a special emphasis on magic. It provides info on several characters and items that will play a part in the Mystic Arcana series including Ian McNee, Modred the Mystic, Nagala, Ashake and many others. It comes out June 6th.
The second book is like a handbook, but I am really trying to make it unique. It comes out in July and it is entitled The Marvel Tarot - Magical Theories from the Files of Ian McNee. Obviously, it is written from Ian's perspective. The idea behind the book is this… in the Mystic Arcana Book I: Air readers are introduced to a very special deck of Tarot cards. The cards are magically connected with the world around them and they magically transform to represent the "real person" (i.e. Marvel character) that most embodies that particular card. For example, if you drew the Major Arcana card of The Priest, "the priest" depicted there might look like Brother Voodoo because Brother Voodoo is the individual who, at this moment in time, most embodies the archetype of The Priest. Now if Brother Voodoo were to die or to abandon his beliefs, then The First Tarot (as this magic deck is called) would alter itself and depict a different person as The Priest. For the most part the individuals that appear on the cards are never aware of their connection to the deck or that the deck even exists.
Ian has been in possession of this special Tarot for some time. He has studied it and has learned a great deal from it, but now the deck appears to be "broken". The card depictions are in a constant state of flux. If you were to draw The Devil three times in a day the card might show you three different Devils or the face on The Queen of Wands might morph into another face right before your eyes and then morph back. So Ian is noting the irregularities in his "files" and the notes are inspiring thoughts and theories regarding magic.
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