The following is an interview with Björn Klein regarding the recent release of the graphic novel, Black Ties: In Gods We Trust. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Klein about the shared creative process of bringing the story and characters to life on the page, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the release of Black Ties: In Gods We Trust! What can you tell us about the story’s overall premise?
Björn Klein: Thank you, Barbra. That means a lot. The response from readers and reviewers alike has been very positive so far, and we feel incredibly blessed and grateful for that.
Well, at the narrative level, Black Ties is a magical realism story about a fire god named Eldur Vanstone, a senator on Olympic Hill whose life begins to unravel just as a dangerous new movement starts gaining influence, and in his desperation to save his career and preserve everything he’s built, he’s drawn deeper into a world of conspiracies, manipulation, and increasingly questionable choices.
So, while the story is set in a divine world with outsized villains, political intrigue, and a bit of a spy-thriller flavor running through it, at its heart it’s really about temptation, compromise, and what happens when people convince themselves that the ends justify the means. Ultimately, it’s about a god forced to confront what he’s become and rediscover his moral compass.
On another level, of course, Black Ties is a scathing, almost Bukowski-esque satire that takes aim at the weary grotesqueness of the society we find ourselves living in today. It reimagines politicians and powerful tech billionaires as literal gods, while poking fun at the modern emptiness lurking behind the American Dream. From runaway consumer capitalism and algorithm-driven lives to the more unhinged expressions of Christian nationalism, I was trying to shine a harsh light on the absurdities and excesses of our age.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in working with artist Lucia Faccini to bring this story and characters to life on the page?
BK: Our process was very fluid and collaborative. Very intuitive, really. I wouldn’t say there was a fixed system, more a continuous exchange between text and image. I’d introduce the narrative direction, and Lucia would reinterpret it visually, often expanding or reshaping it in surprising ways. She’s really good at that, you know, adding different layers and small complexities. We were really figuring everything out as we went, but over time I believe it became less about author and artist and more about a shared language for the world.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums and genres. How do you feel that this story may impact readers, and are there any conversations that you hope that it might inspire?
BK: I think Black Ties works on a few levels, but one of the things I’m most interested in is that point where the systems around us (political, technological, ideological) start to feel bigger than the individual, and the individual kind of gets lost inside them. So in that sense, I hope readers connect to the human side of it more than anything else, because even though it’s set in this heightened fantasy world, the emotional spine is pretty simple.
And I guess I just hope it makes people reflect a bit on the worlds we’re all living in and how much agency we actually feel we have inside them. Sort of like asking: What happens when the choices you’re making slowly turn you into someone you don’t recognize anymore?
BD: Do you have any plans to revisit these characters for future story arcs?
BK To be honest, I haven’t really given that any thought whatsoever. I left the ending quite open for different reasons, but not really with a sequel in mind. That said, it does leave room to revisit it if that ever made sense.
There are a few characters I’ve become quite fond of and wouldn’t mind spending more time with. Right now, though, I’m just happy to see this story out in the world and finding its audience.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
BK: At the moment, I’m working on a novel, although it’s still in a very early stage. It’s a magical realist Cold War story about a young man growing up in East Germany who falls in love with a Vietnamese student. In many ways, it draws on my own memories of growing up in a divided Germany, as well as the rather unlikely chain of events that eventually brought me to Vietnam and led to me meeting my wife at a petrol station in Laos.
Beyond that, I’m hesitant to say too much just yet. At this stage, the project still exists partly in my head, partly in a collection of notes, and partly in a growing number of chapters that I’m hoping will eventually come together into something coherent. But it’s a story I’m very excited about.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about Black Ties?
BK: For anyone curious to learn more, we do have a website with a wealth of artwork and story information, and there’s also a free ten-page excerpt available if readers would like to get a feel for the story.
And I occasionally post updates and assorted thoughts on BlueSky, so that’s probably the best place to follow along with whatever comes next.
Website: https://blackties.my.canva.site/home
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/worldsforus.bsky.social
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX2CG4FQ
