Prolific artist Bryan Christopher Moss is a well-known Columbus figure, having been interviewed by every major Columbus publication, as well as appearing on Good Morning Columbus, and WOSU’s art centric program Broad & High. He is known for working in a variety of mediums including comics, fine arts, and murals and recently completed work on the graphic novel The Eightfold Path published by Abrams Books. Among his other comic credits include Rita’s Adventures, Outer Heaven, and the upcoming The Evangelists. Besides his comic work, Moss has been a teacher for Columbus city schools, the manager for Aminah Robinson’s house, and had his art displayed around the city. Columbus is fortunate to claim him, and we appreciate the time he took to answer our questions.
1) How do you think being a self-taught artist gave you a different perspective than someone with traditional art training? How did growing up in Columbus affect you as an artist?
A lot of times people who are trained usually don’t go past their training. There’s not much exploration. I’m more interested in learning and exploration. As a self-taught artist, it’s more about being resourceful. We don’t really consider the industry standard – and that’s where we can fail a lot of times because we’re learning while we’re doing it. Art school gives you a set of tools that allows you to create the idea, but typically they don’t show you how to go past using that toolset. Being self-taught, the exploration is more external and open.
Growing up in Columbus, there’s nothing to distract you from making art. That allows me to have a hyper attention to developing my skills. The fact that Columbus is flat and boring makes it like a blank slate – it’s like New York City in the 50s, the only time when you had the opportunity to become a famous artist. Columbus supports art because art is all we have here. Columbus has always been that way. If I could go to a beach every day then my art would probably suck. At the same time, you can travel really easily to other cities from Columbus. You can access Chicago, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, so you can always have those options open to you.
2) Are there any particular comic creators that you would say influenced you? How about figures within the fine art world?
Visually I’m influenced by comic artists like Paul Pope, Alex Toth, Wally Wood, Al Columbia, Breccia, Osama Tezuka, Vaughn Bode, and so many more. I also love Grant Morrison. As far as f ine art figures, I’m inspired by painters like Goya, Paula Rego, Dana Schutz, Philip Guston – so many.
3) How do your other disciplines influence your comics? Do you see all of your work as a cohesive whole? How does your approach change when faced with a new project, whether it be comics, fine art, or murals?
I intentionally compartmentalize each discipline. Comics don’t really care about medium – they just care if you can tell a story. So you can paint in a comic, for example. And doing comics actually makes painting easy because comics are the hardest form of art. You can only make a comic as good as you can imagine – you really have to have a good story because they rely so heavily on narrative.
My approach is always about solving the problem. It’s never about the aesthetic itself. The aesthetic is a byproduct of solving the problem. If you solve the problem, you get the appropriate aesthetic. It’s a system.
4) You recently illustrated the graphic novel The Eightfold Path, an interconnected anthology of Afrofuturistic parables of varying genres. How did you come to work with authors Steven Barnes and Charles Johnson? What was it like drawing such a variety of subject matter?
I came to that project through John Jennings, who curates the Megascope line at Abrams ComicArts. John liked my work and thought I would be a good fit for the project because of my style. The Eightfold Path is based on Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path, but it’s also an homage to the anthology-style storytelling of EC genre comics from the 40s and 50s. Each story has its own genre – from sci-fi to horror to slice-of-life. When I was growing up, I would spend hours at the downtown library reading those big collected editions of EC comics and so I think the project was just in my DNA. It was fun and natural to come up with all those different visual concepts for the stories in the collection. And it was a huge honor to bring Steve and Charles’s vision to life – getting to build a relationship with those two writers was the privilege of a lifetime.
5) Unlike the Eightfold Path, Outer Heaven is a comic all your own. It reads like a gonzo cyberpunk romp illustrated with eclectic art that includes photographic collage elements. What drove you to create Outer Heaven and are you planning more adventures with the star, Broken Nose Betty?
I made Outer Heaven after finishing Eightfold Path. It was kind of a nice transition to just make something for myself. The goal was to see if I could make a comic in a week, which was the Broken Nose Betty comic, and then I just added those collage cartoons, which I had been working on over the summer of 2021 after finishing Eightfold Path. And yes, I’m definitely planning follow-ups to Outer Heaven.
6) What appeals to you about working with a team on a project, such as with Eightfold Path? On the other side of the coin, what do you enjoy about working on a solo project like Outer Heaven?
You can get way more done as a team – especially when it comes to comics. My goal is always to do good work, do it quickly, and have fun while doing it. Collaborating with other people really opens up a lot of doors for that. Since I was leading the Eightfold Path project, I spent a lot of time managing and delegating work, and so there was less time to actually sit down and draw and express myself. That’s what I get to do when I’m working on a solo project like Outer Heaven. That’s just pure self-expression and me not having to organize or manage anything, if that makes sense.
7) You’ve spent a lot of time teaching throughout your career, most recently at the Columbus Museum of Art to work with Columbus City Schools to teach character design and comic book layout. What do you enjoy the most about teaching? What have you learned from teaching others art? Do you have plans to do more in the future?
The best part about teaching is helping my students unlock their artistic abilities. I have students of all ages and skill levels and when they discover their vision and voice as an artist, it’s always incredible. My students are my collaborators too, so they teach me new ways of looking at the problems we’re trying to solve together through making art. In the future, I’d really love to operate a space where I can run bigger art classes and keep doing individual lessons with students.
8) You worked with White Castle capturing their history through comics on three separate collectible cups, how did you get involved with the project? Do you have any advise for artists who want to work with corporate partners?
I got connected with some folks over at White Castle through the Columbus Arts Festival one year. Hakim Callwood and myself assisted another artist on a mural at the White Castle location in the Short North a few years back. I was so honored when they invited me back to collaborate with them as they celebrated their 100th anniversary and longstanding partnership with Coca-Cola. We made three separate collectible cups as well as a mural in their new home offices here in Columbus. My advice for artists working with corporate partners would be to choose projects and partners you truly feel connected to. Growing up in Columbus, White Castle was such a part of my life and so it was just a huge honor to work with them.
9) The current comic you’re working on with your fiancée, Rachel Miller, is entitled The Evangelists. What can you tell us about the project? When can fans expect to pick up a copy?
The Evangelists is written by Rachel and it’s all her story about this cult led by a mysterious teenage girl. Hopefully we’ll have that comic done by the fall!
10) What famous painter, from past or present, do you think would have made an excellent comic artist and why?
Goya because with his etchings, the “Los caprichos” series, you can see how contemporary the work is. You can see his influence reflected in people like Al Columbia, Frank Miller, Ed Piskor. There are images in there that are memes like “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.” So that set really has all the tropes and ideas of contemporary comics. The etchings have a manga feel with the greytone values – similar to Berzerk because it has demons in it. And this is just one aspect of Goya, too. Sorry to everyone who wanted me to talk about Philip Guston, Basquiat, or Keith Haring!