AVY JETTER
Avy Jetter (born December 11, 1968) is an American writer, artist, and activist who is best known for her self-published comic series Nuthin' Good Ever Happens at 4 a.m. Jetter also works as a Special Programs & International Affiliates Coordinator at University of California, Berkeley.
Jetter began work on her self-published comic series, Nuthin' Good Ever Happens at 4 a.m., in early 2012. The comic follows the lives of four friends, Chan, Dee Jay, Dray, and Zee, throughout a zombie apocalypse that breaks out in Oakland, California. Determined to present it at the San Francisco Zine Fest, she finished the first issue of the series in under five months. The series is categorized by its horror and gore, and the majority of it is stylized in black and white. Jetter exclusively uses people of color as her characters. Nuthin' Good Ever Happens at 4 a.m. is currently in production of its fifth issue.
Every time I think about scary things or things that go bump in the night, I think of the still quiet of a city block late at night with red, yellow, green and white lights flashing creating the buzz and hum of static energy. I also think about walking to the gym years ago at 4 a.m. and my Mom always saying, “there’s nothing good out there” in the middle of the night. So of course when I thought about writing a scary comic book I thought, what better title than a play on words and a bit of a nod to my Mom and our joke about being outside at 4 a.m. So many people ask me, “Why horror? Or Why zombies?” I’ve often asked myself this question and I look at horror or scary movies like how people enjoy theadrenaline rush of roller coaster rides or even how some folks enjoy the fantasy of a good love story. I like that rush of being scared and I like inserting myself into the action and dilemma of a horror scenario. “What would I do if Jason was following me?”, “What would I do if I wake up trapped in a basement with 10 strangers?” These are the kinds of scary movies I like to watch plus the worldbuilding and cinematography, mood and atmosphere of a dark world on screen is amazing to me. The imagination and creativity it takes to fully immerse one’s mind into another place so different from reality, I think is an unappreciated art.
Drawing horror or blood and guts in comic book form just takes this excitement to another level for me because I have to sit with the images, carve them out and development them on paper. Take something 2D and make folks forget that the world that I’ve built on paper isn’t real and scare them, thrill them and even make them laugh, if I can do that with pen and ink on paper then that’s the best feeling in the world. The horror comic anthology Box of Bones was an even bigger challenge as I didn’t write the story but still needed to bring the characters to life and create an environment and draw historical events in a compelling way. Collaborating with a writer and color person to tell a story that would flow well with all the other artists on the project not only taught me to do research but also be okay with and give space to other creative voices. Everyone had to work in harmony and leave our egos at the door to present a cohesive comic book. I’m super excited to read the final result of all the energy and hard work of so many talented folks.
