by Mike Rhode
Recently I heard from Chad Bilyeu, a DC-expat, who wrote, "I am a 47 year-old Black American writer, historian, and photographer who has been living in Amsterdam for nearly 13 years. I am also a former DC denizen and currently write and publish my own comics." Chad was interested promoting his books via our usual interview questions. I've interspersed some of his original email describing his work to me with his answers, and I think readers will enjoy his atypical career.What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
For the most part, I am a writer. On occasion I draw, but I do so little actual drawing that I don’t claim that I do that. I also do a lot of unacknowledged things like lettering, editing, designing, flattening, and what I like to think of as refining. I’m also running my own publishing house, so I do the marketing, liaising, and distribution as well. I guess I do everything [for my comics] except for the penciling and inking.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
I am into writing full scripts that always begin with pen and paper. I’m a bit old school in that fashion. I begin typing once I’ve handwritten out an outline and the dialogue. Then I go in and embellish the dialogue while adding in explicit direction and notes for the artist. I usually have a vision when I’m writing, so I do suggest panel layout and shot selection with the understanding that if the artist can suggest something better or more logical we will go with that. I aim to provide an artist with a lot of information that helps in keeping their vision firmly rooted in what I’m looking for. I think this process sounds way more commandeering than it actually is. I’ve been told by the artists that I’m pretty easy to work with. Hopefully they aren’t lying to me.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
No shame in my game; I was born in 1975. I feel fortunate to have made it to 47 years of age. I enjoyed growing up in the 1980s. The exposure to Hip-Hop and the advances in technology (especially video games) made it an exciting time for us. I was born in East Cleveland, Ohio, most raised in Cleveland Heights, and spent a lot of time, usually summers and holidays, on Long Island, New York where both of my parents were born.
Why are you in Amsterdam now? Yeah, I usually ask myself this question everyday. When I was living in DC (1998-2008) I visited Amsterdam on five separate occasions. During those visits I developed a cursory appreciation for the city. I moved to Amsterdam in 2009 to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam which I did not complete. Many jobs and many lives later, I’m still here.
Why did you visit Amsterdam originally?
What is your training and/or education in writing and cartooning?
I am not really formally trained to write comics. I basically decided in 2018 that I was going to try my hand at it and just went for it. I have been writing regularly since the age of 15 or so. I would draw my own comics which I mostly kept to myself. Around the age of 18, I got into the art of Hip-Hop MCing, which taught me a lot regarding the cadence and rhythm of writing. Rhyming over beats was also the perfect way to expand my lexicon; I would do my best to try and fit words like “sui generis” and “al fresco” into my verses. After that I had a short stint as a restaurant reviewer for the DC City Paper. I then began to write about my misadventures on a blog that was mostly read by my friends. I suppose it was the medium of comics that really presented the opportunity and format that rewarded me the most.
I used to be known in school for drawing. but I mostly gave up drawing when I moved to DC at the age of 23. I suppose I was more into making music at the time. I have always been an advocate of multimedia artistic expression, be it drawing, music, or analog photography. I don’t draw much anymore, but I don’t think that I have lost the talent. I’m really out of practice and it takes much longer than it used to to draw anything. Maybe I’ll get back into it. Who knows? At the moment though, I am really enjoying writing, so that will be my focus for the foreseeable future.
Who are your influences?
I could go on for hours regarding my influences, so I will do my best to speak on the folks who are inspiring me the most currently. I love great comic art, but have always especially admired a well-crafted story. An incomplete list of writers who have influenced me include Chester Himes, Raymond Chandler, Donald Goines, Richard Stark, Iceberg Slim, George Orwell, Octavia Butler, Matt Wagner, Alan Moore, Peter Milligan, Ed Brubaker, Aleš Kot, Harvey Pekar, Dennis Eichhorn, Grant Morrison, Kazuo Koike, Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Katsuhiro Otomo. Regarding comic art, as of late I have really been feeling Darwyn Cooke, José Muñoz, Eddie Campbell, Kyle Baker, Greg Smallwood, Linnea Sterte, Ryoichi Ikegami, Bill Sienkiewicz, Chris Visions, and Jacques Tardi. Some of these folks have inspired me for decades whilst others I am just getting into.
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
To change anything in my past would result in an intrinsic change in who I currently am. At the moment I am happy with who I am and the work that I am producing, so I don’t feel the need to change anything about my past. Sure, I could have begun my writing career earlier than the age of 42, but I’m not certain that I would have had anything worthwhile to write about. It seemed necessary for my own path to live my life and then write about it later on. I’m satisfied with how everything is coming to fruition. Things happen when they should.
What work are you best-known for?
My best known work is probably my autobiographical series Chad in Amsterdam, which is about my life as an American living in the capital of the Netherlands. I didn’t really think that the comic would succeed but it seems that folks like my take on the city and the culture. So far, it seems to be working so I’ll keep at it for at least six more issues (a total of twelve in the series). I write everything and collaborate with artists from around the world to bring the scripts to life. All of the artists that I work with are paid a fair wage for their artwork and the comic is printed in the Netherlands. I actively promote and distribute my comics around the world. In three and a half years, I have created six issues of Chad in Amsterdam and one issue of a new comic anthology entitled Megillah, which gives a curated selection of artists eight pages to create a story. I’ve amassed a small but dedicated following and received some good reviews. I recently won a grant competition
from the good people at 100% Comics to assist with the creation of my sixth issue of Chad in Amsterdam. And lastly, an achievement for which I am quite honored, Chad in Amsterdam was nominated by Broken Frontier for the "best periodical series" for the year 2021.
Bernie Mireault? How did you begin working with him?
Honestly, I just
hit him up on Facebook. He had been on hiatus because he was taking
care of his father. I was rereading Grendel at the time and wondered
what he was up to. I sent over a script and my page rate, and he agreed
to work with me! There's a pro tip for people; most comic folks are
pretty accessible. I've worked with Bernie twice since our first
collaboration. He's a consummate professional and I'm honored that he
would work with an upstart such as myself.
What work are you most proud of?
Personally, I am really enjoying creating The Re-Up with my friend and artist Juliette de Wit. The Re-Up is the true story of how I sold drugs from 2004 to 2008 in Washington DC, beginning at Georgetown University and later expanding throughout the East Coast of America. Each issue of The Re-Up is 24 pages fully illustrated in black and white and green. I think that it is an autobiographical comic like no other. In short, the comic is about a part of my decade spent in DC, when I attended and worked at Georgetown University whilst concurrently selling a lot of weed. Thus far we have produced two issues and I am quite proud of them. The comic looks like nothing else on the stands and we put in a lot of work to make sure it is an idiosyncratic artifact. We are releasing chapters en route to an entire graphic novel. The story is just beginning, but most folks seem to be looking forward to each subsequent issue, which is both an honor and a challenge.
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
Comics are my favorite medium, so I will continue to create more works within the various genres in the medium. I have a really good superhero story that I would like to tell one day. I would also like to delve into a biography concerning a civil rights leader who I will leave unnamed. I think that after Chad in Amsterdam and The Re-Up reach their conclusions I will probably cease doing autobiographical comics and focus upon fictional stories. I get bored doing the same thing and I am not looking to get typecast. One day I could see myself delving into film and television writing and direction. That would actually be a dream come true. However, I have a feeling that I will continue to create comics for as long as I can.
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
Writer’s block doesn’t really exist to me. I have too many ideas and not enough time to realize them all. I don’t believe that a writer has to be writing at all times. We have to get out into the world and enjoy life in order to be inspired and have something interesting to write about. Whenever I am not in the mood to write, I go into the world to converse with folks. I think creativity stems from human interaction, so I maintain a healthy balance of creation when in solitude and fraternization amongst people who I like and respect.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
Good question. Hopefully the masses will still enjoy books written by actual people in the near future. The rise of artificial intelligence and virtual reality are quite frightening to me. It seems that the social scientists have a vested interest in us all being distracted and solipsistic. I am committed to the written word and the printed page because they are lo-fi outlets that allow anyone to create and anyone to consume. Ultimately, I think that human experiences and emotions need to be told by actual cognizant people who understand the power of empathy and synergy. Hopefully I’m not proven incorrect on this one.
What cons do you attend? Any comments about attending them?
Thus far I have participated in MICE in Boston, Short Run in Seattle, TCAF in Toronto, Genghis Con in Cleveland. Stripdagen Haarlem in the Netherlands, and Thought Bubble in England. They all have their merits, some more so than others, and I am always happy to be a part of them. What is strange to me is that my acceptance rate was higher pre-Covid when I only had two issues of Chad in Amsterdam available. Since Covid struck I have made six comics with two more slated to drop in the spring of 2023. I don't really know what the gatekeepers of the indie comic world are looking for, but it isn’t at all my job to appease their tastes and proclivities. I’m publishing three different titles, all of which are critically-acclaimed, so I’ll just keep doing what I have been doing. I’m not in this to be a part of any comic scenes. I’m in this to reach the stores and the readers and to leave a legacy of quality comics. With that said, folks can definitely see me this April at TCAF in Toronto.
What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?
Firstly, out here in Amsterdam I have two local stores: Henk and Lambiek. They are complimentary stores that are right around the corner from each other, and I love the staff at each store. Honestly, this is probably the best comic book store scenario that I have had in life. If you all visit Amsterdam, be certain to visit both stores!
My pull list runs a wide gamut. At the moment I have been collecting: That Texas Blood, The Department of Truth, Dwellings, The Fang, Ultramega, Newburn, The Human Target, Reckless, Stramash, Everything Sucks, Damn Them All, and What’s the Furthest Place From Here? Today I just picked up Immortal Sergeant and I’m quite looking forward to reading that. This list doesn’t include the various graphic novels and collected editions I purchase, which recently included Slash Them All and A Frog in the Fall (and later on).
How can people buy YOUR comics?
For folks in DC my comics can be found at Fantom Comics on P St. NW or Big Planet Comics on U St. NW and Vienna. If you’re elsewhere in the States, it may be easier to go to Birdcage Bottom Books or Domino Books. I am also in a lot of brick-and-mortar locales, mostly on the East Coast and in the MIdwest. West Coast, I’m coming for y’all again soon. Hold tight. Lastly, you can always get my comics at my website, chadinamsterdam.nl.
What's your favorite thing about visiting DC?
DC was my home for a decade. When I left the city, I really didn’t want to go, but had to -- for reasons that will eventually be revealed in The Re-Up. I last visited in November of 2022 and it was the first time since relocating that I had a car and was able to drive around like I used to. DC is truly one of the most distinctive cities in the United States. It is one of few places in America that has a local style of music. It is always pure bliss to hear Go-Go on the city streets. I had to duck into the Metro PCS on 7th St. NW and Florida to purchase whatever Go-Go mixtape that was serving as the diegetic score for the corner. I was mostly a NW guy, so U street and Adams Morgan were my favorite hangouts, and it is always a pleasure to just wander thereabouts with no plan in mind. I was fortunate enough to be walking past another one of my favorite places, Black Cat, where Lee Fields just so happened to be performing that evening. I used to attend Howard and Georgetown, so I always walk those campuses and relive the good times that I experienced at both of these stellar universities. Honestly, visiting gets me really nostalgic because I had a good life in DC. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I stayed instead of moving in 2008. Alas, that’s something that we will never know but it’s always bittersweet to consider the alternate universes that could have been.
Least favorite?
The rampant gentrification. Sadly, there are so many new denizens of DC who know nothing about the history and culture of the city. I think it’s a pity. Although gentrification is affecting nearly every urban center throughout the Occident, it hit DC early and it hit hard. U Street NW is nearly unrecognizable. I can tell that the new denizens don’t contribute to culture; at best they spend money. I suppose that change is a certainty, but it is painful to see that so much culture has been lost with the displacement of DC’s native population. It hurts to know that this aforementioned Metro PCS has to fight to play the same Go-Go music that they were playing when I first arrived in 1998, way back when I was on a mission to get a new pager. Hopefully the gentrifier realizes their place in the city and pre-existing local culture can ultimately reign supreme; but honestly, I’m not so confident that this will be the outcome.
What monument or museum do you like to go to?
Funny that you ask that. As I was just in DC this past November, I took a walk on the National Mall and realized how few of these incredible places I had actually been in. For a while, I was a mainstay at the Smithsonian because, as most of them are free of charge to enter, it is the perfect place for impecunious or parsimonious people to go on dates (something that I did quite often in 1998). On the next visit I especially want to hit the National Museum of African American History and Culture as I have not visited yet.
When I lived in the city I used to go down to the Capitol Reflecting Pool at night to smoke weed and ponder over life. I’ve quit smoking weed, but I still find this a great place to go at night and ponder over how far I’ve come in life. A flask replaced the blunt, but the sense of tranquility and self-reflection is the same.
Are you planning on staying in the Netherlands and becoming a citizen of the EU, or are your ties to the US still strong?
I hope to be able to live life in Amsterdam and in an additional city in the US. My ties to the US are still strong. It is indeed still the place that I consider to be "home." I think the country is currently in a state of utter hullabaloo, but it's still where I feel the most comfortable. It's nice to not have to constantly explain my existence the way that I have to when I'm in the Netherlands. Anyhow, I'm looking at Pittsburgh. It's a great town and it's quite close to my hometown of Cleveland where most of my family still resides. And yeah, I'm in it for the citizenship. I want access to greater mobility within our stratified world.
Do you have a website or blog?
I definitely have a website but it is mostly just for ordering books. You can get all of my comics from chadinamsterdam.nl. I don’t really have a blog, but as far as social media goes I am on Twitter and Instagram. I also run a Twitter site for Bistro Books that is strictly comic-related, which may be the best option if you aren’t so concerned with the music that I listen to or my misanthropic rants.
How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you, personally and professionally?
I don’t think that it affected me adversely. As previously mentioned, I have released six comics since Covid transmogrified reality. I’m a bit paradoxical with other humans. I hate people, but I love people. It was honestly sort of nice to just be chilling with my lady during Cpvid. We ate well, watched a lot of films and TV, washed a lot of groceries, and cooked quite a bit. If anything, it has made it more arduous to live in an overpopulated city like Amsterdam. But hey, such is life…
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