Joe Matt

Cerebus #287 (February 2003)
Art by Dave Sim & Gerhard

DAVE SIM:
(from the notes to Latter Days, November 2003)

These are all Mia Farrow's kids, except the last one, Joe Matt Pharaoh. Joe Matt, who appears in several panels as one of the kids (traced from his self-portraits in his comic book, Peepshow, published by Drawn & Quarterly whenever he gets one done - which is a favourite of mine and Gerhard) insisted that I had to put him in the book because I had already done Seth (in Church & State) and Chester Brown (earlier in this book). I mentally slated him to be one of Mia Farrow's kids, whereupon he went off to the San Diego Con last year and met an Asian girl he fell madly in love with, thus putting an "edge" on his appearance in the serialised instalment that I had in no way intended. Fortunately, soon after he moved back to the States to be with her, they broke up, thus removing the "edge" in time for this collected volume.

Chet and Joe were, evidently, talking on the phone when the first appearance of Joe Matt Pharaoh came out:

"Dave put you in Cerebus."
"He did? Why did he do that?"
"You asked him to."
"I did?"
"Yes and he told you you were going to be in the book last time he saw you."
"He did?"

Always a rewarding pleasure to go "out of your way" on Joseph's behalf.