PSYCHONAUTICS
The Simon Myth Chronicles is a Gnostic epic about modern day wizard Simon Myth and his adventures battling supernatural enemies and exploring unexplainable phenomena. Working for the Department of Anomalous Affairs and Thaumaturgy (DAAT), Simon finds himself in a reality-shattering series of events that will change him forever! As tough as this manic magician is, he may have gotten himself into the most perplexing paranormal problem he's ever faced!
"In Daniel Moler's The Simon Myth Chronicles he is able to combine the occult with the same kind of adventure and intrigue you would find in a true crime Podcast. Equal parts Ghostbusters as it is Serial, Simon Myth is a man you can see beyond the mysterious world around him. Equipped with a preternatural and psychedelic sixth sense, Simon Myth is ready to believe you! Another amazing and mind bending comic from the Moler-verse!"
- Eli Schwab, Cosmic Lion Productions
SHOP SIMON MYTH
THE STORY
Originally published as a series of short stories in Daniel's early 2000s blog, and then featured as a back-up series of stories in Psychonaut Presents, The Simon Myth Chronicles details the supernatural adventures of a modern-day Gnostic wizard who works for a government agency that regulates magic and sorcery (which has become a legal commodity). The world has broken and the veil between the natural and supernatural wears thin. Simon Myth spends his days fixing "astral anomalies" when his latest job forces him to look at his own past and the fact that he may indeed be the one responsible for the world breaking apart! How Simon Myth was conceived can be explored on one of Daniel's previous blog posts.
The Simon Myth Chronicles is composed of a trilogy of stories that may span multiple media including comic books, prose fiction, and more. The trilogy starts in Broken Chalice (the comic series), continues in Tremor of the Abyss, and finishes the story in The Prometheus War. The Simon Myth Chronicles takes place in same universe as Daniel's novel Red Mass.
VOLUME 1: BROKEN CHALICE
Thirteen years ago, the events of Red Mass showed how the U.S. suffered its first psycho-magical terrorist attack. Afterward, it became impossible for the Federal government to hide supernatural phenomena from the world. The Department of Anomalous Affairs and Thaumaturgy (DAAT) was established and Congress passed the New Thought Psychotherapuetic Act (NTPA) into law, effectively sanctioning the use of magic, psychedelics, and psychism as credentialed fields of academia and labor. Now, DAAT regulates NTPA implementation in the areas of education, medical practice, and defense.
Yet, the public is unaware of DAAT's secret programs to unveil the mysteries of the Universe, using highly skilled Hierophants to breach the threshold of the unknown. The Adam Kadmon Project was established and DAAT recruited the most highly skilled Hierophants and Psychonautic Analysts in the business (Simon Myth, Maxwell Echo III, and more) to build the Chalice: a psychic gateway between the astral dimension and mundane reality. However, something went wrong (see Psychonaut Presents issues 2 - 4) and the Chalice malfunctioned, causing a paranormal breach into our world, spilling over into unexplained events called "astral anomalies" that Simon and crew have to fix. Now, something is rising from the depths to bring chaos into this world and it's up to Simon and crew to stop the impending apocalypse!
THE SETTING
Broken Chalice takes place in the real-life setting of San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. San Luis a is very special place to Daniel, as he considers it a sort of spiritual mecca in North America. Once a prehistoric lake, the Valley is host to a plethora of unusual phenomena including UFOs, cryptozoological sightings, as well as the location for the first recorded cattle mutilation in U.S. The Hopi designate the Valley as their Sipapu, the birthplace of the people. Further, San Luis Valley hosts Mount Blanca, which is traditionally the Eastern Gate of the Navajo Nation, the personal spiritual pilgrimage site for Daniel, as well as the primary setting where the Chalice is located in The Simon Myth Chronicles.
The map of San Luis Valley is accurate to true life, although there may be some locations that are fictional within the Broken Chalice story, including The Brazilian diner and Chuck's Emporium. However, these fictional locales reside in actual locations in real life that the reader can map to. Every issue of Broken Chalice includes a map to the Valley so that the reader can engage where the characters are at within the story.
THE CAST
SIMON MYTH
The star of the show! Simon is an incredibly adept sorcerer. The son of the famous pulp-occult adventurer, Samson Myth, Simon was on of the first educational recipients of the NTPA, having graduated from Mt. Vernon University with his friends Maxwell Echo III and Krindle Lapin as the first alumni of NTPA-legislated licensure. Simon holds licenses for Psychonautic Analysis and Hierophany, though has not formally practiced within the United States. Having disappeared after graduation, Simon was recruited by Dr. Roll to join DAAT in starting the Adam Kadmon Project. Joining his old friend Maxwell, they both were integral to creating the Chalice device.
MAXWELL ECHO III
Having come from the famous Echo lineage, Maxwell's family has served world leaders as magician-consultants for countless generations. When the NTPA was passed, Maxwell's family immediately enrolled him into Mt. Vernon University to gain the Echo clan's first legal magical credentials in history. Maxwell was one of DAAT's first recruits and, when the Adam Kadmon Project was conceived, Maxwell immediately requested the acquisition of his old friend Simon to be part of the crew. Maxwell was vital in the technological element of the building of the Chalice, having made numerous gains in his career bridging physics, IT, and magic!
KRINDLE LAPIN
One of the original graduates of Mt. Vernon University's NTPA program, Krindle shares common alumni with Simon and Maxwell, and is one of the first certified Psychonautic Analysts in the world. Psychonautic Analysis supports therapy and counseling in conjunction with registered psychedelic medicines. Krindle runs her own practice in the city of Alamosa and was a brief consultant to the Adam Kadmon project, though she had strong reservations to the creation of the Chalice.
GRAYSON POPE
Grayson was a fellow student with Simon, Maxwell, and Krindle at Mt. Vernon University's NTPA program, focusing his studies on Hierophany and Occult Applications. After a tragic experiment gone wrong, Grayson was killed before he ever graduated. Now, Grayson has appeared years later, accompanied by his master Skinscript, rising out of the ground through a series of earthquakes puncturing holes in reality itself.
SKINSCRIPT
The common person would refer to him/her/it as a "demon" from "Hell," but those terms are obsolete in a post-NTPA world. Skinscript is a tsedef, a Duke of Gomaliel from the Qliphoth. He/she/it has risen to the Kingdom (the mundane world) with his/her/it's slave Grayson due to a series of unusual quakes puncturing holes in reality. Skinscript's motives remain unclear, but he/she/it does seem intent on enjoying being one of the first astral beings to step fully into physical form.
AGENT SPARE
Agent Spare is a member of the Order of the Red Hand, a non-governmental group of shamanic revolutionaries that monitor esoteric activity and battle occult tyranny (see Daniel's novel, Red Mass). The antithesis of Men in Black (MIB), the Order is commonly known as Men in Red (MIR) or Red Agents. Spare is the Red Agent assigned to the San Luis Valley and recruits Krindle to help curb the phenomenal activity caused by the Chalice, which is brining imbalance to the world.
DR. ROLL
Very little is known about the mysterious Dr. Roll. Notable as one of the top magicians on the planet, he is a member of the secret magical order called The Corpus (often considered a possible a sort of Illuminati). Dr. Roll was selected by Secretary Pinwheel (head of DAAT) to lead Project Adam Kadmon. Dr. Roll was the seminal force in recruiting Simon and Maxwell to build the Chalice, though he has never particularly showed a liking for either of them (or anyone, for that matter).