I first heard about Dean Hsieh when I came across his American manga, ATHENA. The story is totally one-of-a-kind — it’s about the goddess Athena living her best life on Earth, rocking out in a punk band! Yeah, you read that right. Naturally, I went on a deep dive online, curious about the artist behind it all. I didn’t find much about Dean, but I did discover he’s also a musician. Talk about a triple threat — a Greek mythology geek, an artist/storyteller, and a musician rolled into one. How cool is that? I knew I had to learn more. So, I reached out to Dean Hsieh, asked if I could do an interview, and the rest is history…
Interview with Dean Hsieh
Alright Dean, picture this: Hermes is about to introduce you to the Greek gods — Athena, Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite — the entire Olympian crew. If you had something for him to read about you, what do you think would make the gods see you as a truly cool guy? What details or interesting facts about Dean Hsieh would you want him to share that’d leave them all thinking, “Yeah, this guy’s super cool”? Let’s hear it straight from the mouth of Hermes.
Hermes: “Fellow Olympians, allow me to introduce Dean Hsieh, a wonderfully weird mortal who always lived by his own rules and followed his own heart, someone who dared to defy the gods in his small and insignificant way.”
Dean, we’d love to get to know the person behind the name. Could you tell us a little about your private life and some of the exciting things you’ve been working on professionally?
I don’t think of my life as particularly exciting although I think of it as a full and satisfying life. I live with my wife and three children in Austin, Texas. We travel as often as we can and I try to fill my time with different creative pursuits… I’ve worked in animation, comics, music, design, and pretty much everything in between.
My biggest professional work recently is animation supervisor for the Amazon show Undone and the Richard Linklater film Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood on Netflix. I also worked on an animated intro for Critical Role and an animated music video for the Austin band The Black Angels.
By the way, when someone asks about your nationality or ethnicity, how do you usually describe yourself?
I think of myself as an American first obviously, although I am ethnically Chinese and have a lot of ties and affinity to many Asian cultures as well.
Dean Hsieh’s ATHENA Manga Series: Interview
Can you tell us about your amazing ATHENA manga series? What inspired you to create it, and how did the story come together?
I grew up in Taiwan and loved Japanese manga. Then during my middle/high school years in Texas I was very into American comics, both mainstream and indy comics. I was attending the University of Texas at Austin earning degrees in Art and Japanese when I fell back into Japanese work through the school anime club and the explosion of translated manga in the nineties. I wanted to marry the sensibilities of indy comics with the storytelling style of manga, and add in things that I was personally interested in like mythology and punk rock. So out of that strange swirling brew, ATHENA was born, straight out of my head as you could say.
Here’s a review of Dean Hseih’s ATHENA manga comic series for Greek mythology enthusiasts. Dean, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Also, while I was busy snapping photos of your ATHENA manga covers for my review, I witnessed a real-life drama — someone getting arrested right next to my car over the last issue of your series. Talk about divine intervention! Do you think this chaos could be a mysterious omen from the Greek gods or just a wild coincidence?
Thats certainly wild! Not much I can add about it, really.
Interview: Exploring Greek Mythology with Dean Hsieh
Dean, I really admire your grasp of Greek mythology. I’m sure readers of this interview would love to pick your brain and hear your thoughts on all things Greek myth — books, comics, manga, movies, TV shows, anime — you name it. Is there anything that’s particularly stuck with you or has made a lasting impression from your youth to the present day?
I have always loved mythology as a child and Greek mythology with their interesting pantheon of gods and goddesses always fascinated me. Early stuff such as Marvel’s Greek gods characters to Sandman’s myth references.
Some indy comics that I enjoyed include Eddie Campbell’s Bacchus and Eric Shanower’s Age of Bronze series. Historie by Hotoshi Iwakki, the creator of Parasyte, is a great manga based on Greek history.
I was also very influenced by Masamune Shirow who used Greek myth references in his scifi manga. I also watched a lot of myth-related tv and movies, from Hercules/Xena to Troy/300.
Dean, just as a hypothetical: if you could replace any Greek god or goddess (except Zeus) and acquire their powers and lifestyle, who would you choose and why?
This is a tough question as I like all the gods in different ways but I suppose I always felt a kinship to Hephaestus because he is the god of artisans and craftsmen. As someone who values creativity and the act of creating art, I suppose I would have to pick Hephaestus.
Interview: Dean Hsieh – the Musician
Let’s talk about music. You’ve been in a few bands, from what I’ve seen. Take us back to the very beginning — how was your first band formed? Start from the time you picked an instrument to play. Was this before you were considering joining a band? Walk us through how the band’s name was chosen, what the early days were like, and how you finally stepped onto that stage for your first public performance. What kind of music did you play, and what was that moment like? We’d love to hear the whole journey, especially so other young people can find inspiration in your story. Honestly, being in a band sounds like an epic adventure — what was it like for you?
I actually didn’t develop an interest in music until I was older, most of my younger years were preoccupied with drawing mostly. I took some piano lessons forced by my parents, but I didn’t get serious about music until I picked up the guitar in early high school. My dad had played some guitar so there was always one around the house, and I started listening to a lot of rock music and decided to learn to play. I played with some friends in high school, not real bands but just for fun and maybe try out for a talent show.
Eventually in college I got involved with other like-minded people and started playing club shows, eventually founding a punk zine and record label called Peek-a-Boo. My music was always influenced by punk and indy music, I never liked much mainstream pop music. I was also lucky that Austin was a small but vital music scene at the time so it felt natural and easy to play shows and become friends with other musicians. I would say it has definitely been a huge part of my life, sometimes it’s an adventure, sometimes it’s a comedy, sometimes it’s a tragedy, but I wouldn’t change anything about my experiences.
You eventually played your music in Japan by going on tour. How did that come about, and where did you perform? How awesome was that?
I was listening to a lot of garage punk at the time and I started a band called the 1-4-5s as kind of a joke because so many rock n roll songs follow what we call the one, four, and five music structure. I produced an extremely lofi indy record on my 4-track recorder that received some attention and suddenly we were somehow signed to a garage punk record label called Estrus Records. They were kinda known in Japan, and there were a lot of well-known Japanese punk bands affiliated with the label. So for one of our band adverts I think I wrote something like “We want to go to Japan” in Japanese just for fun. We ended up getting contacted by a small Japanese promoter who managed to book a tour for us, I think we played five shows across Japan, from Tokyo to Kyoto to Nagoya.
Of course it was awesome, one of the best times of my life, and I formed friendships with other Japanese bands such as the 5.6.7.8s that allowed me to go back to Japan to play again, to more places like Osaka, the farthest was Kanazawa, we were probably one of the first American punk bands to play there haha!
What about the rest of your music journey up to now? What kind of cool things have you been up to musically?
I have recently become more active in music again, playing guitar and writing music with John Wesley Coleman III…. He is a longtime fixture of the Austin music scene with his old band The Golden Boys as well as many solo records. I wrote and produced his latest album with him which will be released soon! He has toured Europe before and I hope to go there with him on tour in the near future.
Interview with Dean Hsieh: Comic and Manga Fan Insights
Aside from your ATHENA manga series, what other comics or manga have you created or helped create?
I created a 3 issue color series called Westside from Antarctic Press, they also released a special #1 packaged with a soundtrack CD that I curated. I’ve also done a color digital series titled Devil’s Wake for Zuda which was a digital imprint for DC Comics, unfortunately they never released a physical book. I’ve also contributed various covers, pinups and short stories to a few small independent publishers.
Dean, you’re obviously a huge manga fan, especially since you’ve created ATHENA, your own American Manga. Could you share some of your favorite manga titles and tell us why you think they are so exceptional?
Oh there’s simply too many to list really, but a select few just off the top of my head are: Parasyte, Evangelion, Bleach, Blade of the Immortal, Vagabond, Legend of Kamui, Akira, anything by Osamu Tezuka and Naoki Urasawa. I love it when a manga creator has a unique style of their own and can tell an interesting story with memorable characters.
And what about comics? Are there any comics you particularly enjoyed reading that left a lasting impression on you?
Yes, I was very into comics although I admit I haven’t followed anything new in years. My favorite indy comic was probably Love and Rockets. I have big love and respect for the original superhero artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. I really enjoyed Vertigo comics in my high school years for bringing a different sensibility. I also love a lot of European artists such as Moebius and Hugo Pratt. Again, too many to list.
By the way, I have my own comic series — Athena and Hermes: Gods and Mortals. You can explore 17 comics through this link. (P.S. There is also at least one hidden gem from this series elsewhere on my site.) Each three-panel comic story takes about 30 seconds to read, so you can enjoy all of them in under 10 minutes. I’m curious — which one is your favorite?
I guess my favorite would be the Darth Vader vs the Greek Gods. Reminds me a little of the Vader and Son comics by Jeffrey Brown. Nice job!
How hard would it be to create a physical comic book from these? I currently have twenty comics in total, which amounts to 60 panels. Would this be enough to create a comic book, or should I create more? From your experience, do you think it would be better to generate interest from a publisher or to pursue self-publishing if I want to go down that path?
I think it would not be particularly hard to create and print the physical comics, depending on what type of format you have in mind. I would first consider getting a publisher or at least some sort of partnership. It was difficult to self publish when I did it and it’s only gotten harder in recent years so I would be careful about trying to self publish, from a financial point of view.
Talking about Anime with Dean Hsieh
I really enjoyed watching the classic anime Death Note and was absolutely hooked by it. I’ve watched it several times because it’s so good. Have you seen Death Note, and what’s your opinion of it?
Yes I love Death Note! Takeshi Obata, the original artist for the Death Note manga series, is one of my favorite artists. I also enjoyed his work on Bakuman and All You Need Is Kill.
I didn’t enjoy Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood nearly as much, even though many consider it to be one of the best. What have been your biggest enjoyments when watching Japanese anime?
I enjoy watching anime but I will say I’ve always preferred reading the manga series. I feel the original artist’s intent is the most pure in the manga, and oftentimes the anime adaptations can feel diluted and the animation quality is hit or miss. Although of course I still spend a good deal of time watching anime!
Have you ever watched the Saint Seiya anime, Knights of the Zodiac, or read the manga series? It’s based on Saints who have sworn to defend the reincarnation of the Olympian goddess Athena in her battle against other gods who want to dominate Earth.
I know of the famous Saint Seiya series but I’ve actually not had the chance to see it yet, I hope to read and/or watch it soon.
Living in America: An Interview with Dean Hsieh
Dean, where have you lived in America? What do you like about each of these places? Give us your best spiel about them.
The only place I’ve actually lived in is Texas, first growing up in San Antonio then in Austin for over thirty years. I love Austin because it has a unique art and music scene and I guess I’m just so familiar with it and it has so much history as my hometown.
Hawaii would have to be the American paradise. Have you ever visited there? If yes, where have you been?
I have not had the chance to visit Hawaii yet, but I would love to go there sometime.
Dean Hsieh’s Top Asian Travel Tips: Exclusive Interview & Advice
I’d love to hear your best tips for an awesome adventure somewhere in Asia. Something you’d love to do yourself, even if you’ve done it before. It would be great to get some travel inspiration!
Oh thats a tough question! Of the places I’ve been I would definitely recommend Taiwan and Japan, also Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. I personally would love to go to some places I haven’t been before: South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines are on the top of a long list.
Are there any Asian countries you keep revisiting because you love them so much?
I’m probably a little biased about Taiwan because thats where I was born but I love all of the Asian countries!
If someone is planning to visit Japan, what are a couple of things you’d recommend they try? It could be specific foods, places, or anything else you’d like to share.
I love Tokyo of course and it’s easy to spend many days there, but I would really recommend getting out and visiting other places if you can like Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya… you will see some more natural beauty and historic scenery as well as experience a different side of Japan.
Dean Hsieh on Greece’s Wonders
Have you ever visited Greece? If you have, where have you been? If you haven’t, which places in Greece would you love to visit?
No I’ve never been to Greece but of course i would love to visit! I would want to see all the ancient sites like Acropolis and Parthenon, and of course the beaches and the islands would be amazing as well.
Dean Hsieh: The Artist
Dean, for my last question, it’s clear to me that you’re a multi-talented artist. I know this is a tough one, but how did it happen? Maybe it’s because Apollo likes you, lol.
Haha thanks, but it’s really not something I can put into words. It’s not like I wanted to be anything when I was young, I was just always curious and wanted to learn things, and I would find myself naturally drawn to art and music and film. It’s been a very long road and I don’t think I was ever talented at anything, I just worked on things long enough that I was able to do things eventually. Anyone can do anything if they want to, praying to the gods is not necessary, at least in my experience.
Dean Hsieh: Interview Conclusion
Hey Dean, thanks a ton for smashing the interview — you totally rocked it! I’m super glad I reached out to you, and I really appreciate you being cool enough to be part of Greek Gods Paradise.
Like I mentioned when I sent over the questions, this is going to be the last interview I do. Honestly, your piece feels like the perfect grand finale. I explained why I’m wrapping up the interviews in the previous interview with Maria. One big reason is to ensure everyone checks out the 12 classic interviews on Greek Gods Paradise — think of them as rare gems. I’m keeping the supply limited so they can shine even brighter…
Thanks for being part of this Greek odyssey — really enjoyed your interview, and I have to say, your ATHENA manga series is incredible!
Thanks again, and may the Greek gods be with you…
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