Daisy Chains
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tasmanian Devils
There are always too many interesting animal facts to include in each Daisy Dreamer story. I pick a few, and leave the rest.
Sometimes there are facts that are interesting, but just not appropriate for the comic. One of them has to do with Tasmanian devils -- the animal Daisy turns into in her summer adventure. And it's a sad one.
The Tasmanian devils are in trouble, and they might soon be extinct. It's all because of a mysterious illness called Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease. It's a kind of cancer that causes tumours on the animals' faces and mouths. After several months they can no longer eat, and they die of starvation. The population of Tasmanian Devils has dropped by about half.
It seems that the disease spreads through saliva. Unfortunately, the devils do bite each other, causing it to spread fast.
To save the devils, some people are trying to keep some healthy animals separate from the rest of the population. There's also a plan to take healthy Tasmanian devils and put them on an island that's now a wildlife preserve. (The problem with that plan is that we don't know what the devils will do to the eco-system.)
If you want to know more about Tasmanian devils and this disease, visit the Save the Tasmanian Devil website.
Sometimes there are facts that are interesting, but just not appropriate for the comic. One of them has to do with Tasmanian devils -- the animal Daisy turns into in her summer adventure. And it's a sad one.
The Tasmanian devils are in trouble, and they might soon be extinct. It's all because of a mysterious illness called Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease. It's a kind of cancer that causes tumours on the animals' faces and mouths. After several months they can no longer eat, and they die of starvation. The population of Tasmanian Devils has dropped by about half.
It seems that the disease spreads through saliva. Unfortunately, the devils do bite each other, causing it to spread fast.
To save the devils, some people are trying to keep some healthy animals separate from the rest of the population. There's also a plan to take healthy Tasmanian devils and put them on an island that's now a wildlife preserve. (The problem with that plan is that we don't know what the devils will do to the eco-system.)
If you want to know more about Tasmanian devils and this disease, visit the Save the Tasmanian Devil website.
Labels: Animal facts, Daisy Dreamer, Summer digest
Monday, June 25, 2007
Daisy Dreamer in Mystery Creek Cave
The summer digest issue of Chickadee Magazine is out. That's the fun one that's about the size of an Archie comic -- perfect for sticking in your back pocket or taking with you on a camping trip.
One of the fun things about the summer issue for me is that the Daisy Dreamer comic is freed from its usual two-page format. I get to write a longer story, which is always good.
This summer, Daisy turns into a tasmanian devil during a trip into the Mystery Creek Cave in Tasmania.
When I first heard the name Mystery Creek Cave I thought it was too good to be true. You couldn't make up a better name for a place to set a story. When it came to writing the story though, the trouble was exactly that Mystery Creek and its cave are a real place. I felt like I couldn't just make everything up. So instead, I spent way too much time looking at maps of the Mystery Creek trail, and trying to figure out how Daisy and her friends would make their way through the cave.
In the end, I realized that it really wasn't all that important to accurately show the route through the Mystery Creek Cave. After all, the story is an adventure about Daisy rescuing some trapped hikers, not a travel guide to Tasmania.
But still, most of the drawings in the final comic are based on photos of the cave. So even though the route might be wrong, the cave really does have glow worms, and its rooms look a lot like the ones you see in the comic.
One of the fun things about the summer issue for me is that the Daisy Dreamer comic is freed from its usual two-page format. I get to write a longer story, which is always good.
This summer, Daisy turns into a tasmanian devil during a trip into the Mystery Creek Cave in Tasmania.
When I first heard the name Mystery Creek Cave I thought it was too good to be true. You couldn't make up a better name for a place to set a story. When it came to writing the story though, the trouble was exactly that Mystery Creek and its cave are a real place. I felt like I couldn't just make everything up. So instead, I spent way too much time looking at maps of the Mystery Creek trail, and trying to figure out how Daisy and her friends would make their way through the cave.
In the end, I realized that it really wasn't all that important to accurately show the route through the Mystery Creek Cave. After all, the story is an adventure about Daisy rescuing some trapped hikers, not a travel guide to Tasmania.
But still, most of the drawings in the final comic are based on photos of the cave. So even though the route might be wrong, the cave really does have glow worms, and its rooms look a lot like the ones you see in the comic.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Summer digest
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Animal facts
One of the trickiest parts about writing Daisy Dreamer is figuring out what animal facts to include, and how to include them.
In every comic, Daisy turns into an animal. She stays as the animal for maybe 4 or 5 panels, and then she turns back into herself before the end of the comic.
It's tricky for a couple of reasons. The first one is that you don't want the comic to sound teach-y. Like "Now I am teaching you something about this animal." The second one is that the animal facts have to fit with the story. If Daisy is a right whale and she's swimming towards another whale, then the fact should probably be about how right whales swim. Not about something like where they go when they migrate.
The last thing is that the facts should be important. Sometimes I get sidetracked. Instead of picking something obvious, I go for something really cool (dolphins have split brains and only half the brain sleeps at a time!). Unfortunately, these things are really hard to work into the story, and sometimes too complicated for one sentence in a comic.
Oh well. That's what editors are for. I am getting used to hearing Mary Vincent tell me that we need more meaty animal facts that fit better with the story. I am still working on it.
In every comic, Daisy turns into an animal. She stays as the animal for maybe 4 or 5 panels, and then she turns back into herself before the end of the comic.
It's tricky for a couple of reasons. The first one is that you don't want the comic to sound teach-y. Like "Now I am teaching you something about this animal." The second one is that the animal facts have to fit with the story. If Daisy is a right whale and she's swimming towards another whale, then the fact should probably be about how right whales swim. Not about something like where they go when they migrate.
The last thing is that the facts should be important. Sometimes I get sidetracked. Instead of picking something obvious, I go for something really cool (dolphins have split brains and only half the brain sleeps at a time!). Unfortunately, these things are really hard to work into the story, and sometimes too complicated for one sentence in a comic.
Oh well. That's what editors are for. I am getting used to hearing Mary Vincent tell me that we need more meaty animal facts that fit better with the story. I am still working on it.
Labels: Chickadee, Comics, Daisy Dreamer
Monday, June 18, 2007
Mr. Herman, George and the kids at Thorburn
OK. This is very cool.
A few weeks ago I visited Thorburn School, near New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In a Grade 5 class, we brainstormed about characters, and the kids came up with some excellent ones -- including George, who has a nasty habit of smashing cars.
Well, it looks like after I left the kids went ahead and created their own comics based on the characters. And teacher Shelley MacDonald was kind enough to mail me a two-part comic in which the bad guys come along to smash up the town. My favourite bit of dialogue:
1) It's great to see kids using the amazing ideas they've come up with during a workshop.
2) Humour and action together. A winning combination!
3) I thought it was very interesting how the comics included original drawings, but also some computer art.
I hope these kids come up with lots more comics.
A few weeks ago I visited Thorburn School, near New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In a Grade 5 class, we brainstormed about characters, and the kids came up with some excellent ones -- including George, who has a nasty habit of smashing cars.
Well, it looks like after I left the kids went ahead and created their own comics based on the characters. And teacher Shelley MacDonald was kind enough to mail me a two-part comic in which the bad guys come along to smash up the town. My favourite bit of dialogue:
Ya this is our town.I loved these comics for a couple of reasons.
I don't see your name on it.
I carved mine on the side of the bank [and in the drawing you can see "Mr. Herman's town and friends on the side of the building].
1) It's great to see kids using the amazing ideas they've come up with during a workshop.
2) Humour and action together. A winning combination!
3) I thought it was very interesting how the comics included original drawings, but also some computer art.
I hope these kids come up with lots more comics.
Labels: Chickadee, Comics, Comics by Kids, Writers in Schools
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Pyongyang
I have just finished reading a fantastic graphic novel called Pyongyang, by Guy Delisle. I would recommend the book for anyone age 12 or over.
Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea -- one of the most secretive countries in the world. Not many people are allowed to visit, and if you do go, you have very little freedom to travel while you are there.
The book tells the story of Guy Delisle's stay of a few months in North Korea. He was in there working on an animated TV series. (A lot of people don't realize that much of the animation they see on TV is done in Asia where hiring animators is cheap.)
What I really like about Pyongyang is that it doesn't try to make any big political statements. It's almost like a diary. But in writing and drawing about what he saw and felt. Delisle gives us a portrait of North Korea that's different from anything else I have read. He spends a lot of time with his guide, driver, and translator, without ever really getting to know them -- and trying to figure out if they really believe the outrageous things they tell him about the Korean regime. At the same time, there are some funny sequences of cultural misunderstandings in which Delisle is trying to get across to his animators what changes he needs made to scenes.
I realized that comics was the perfect form for this book. Delisle would not have been allowed to photograph a lot of the places he visited. Comics are great for doing journalism (like Joe Sacco's books) and for memoirs (like Persepolis). Pyongyang is a bit of both.
The book also reminded me of the Tintin comics (and not just because it mentions Tintin). It is clearly influenced by Tintin creator Hergé's clear-line style, and Delisle draws himself with a bit of a quiff -- hair sticking up at the front of his head -- which cannot be a coincidence.
I have just finished reading a fantastic graphic novel called Pyongyang, by Guy Delisle. I would recommend the book for anyone age 12 or over.
Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea -- one of the most secretive countries in the world. Not many people are allowed to visit, and if you do go, you have very little freedom to travel while you are there.
The book tells the story of Guy Delisle's stay of a few months in North Korea. He was in there working on an animated TV series. (A lot of people don't realize that much of the animation they see on TV is done in Asia where hiring animators is cheap.)
What I really like about Pyongyang is that it doesn't try to make any big political statements. It's almost like a diary. But in writing and drawing about what he saw and felt. Delisle gives us a portrait of North Korea that's different from anything else I have read. He spends a lot of time with his guide, driver, and translator, without ever really getting to know them -- and trying to figure out if they really believe the outrageous things they tell him about the Korean regime. At the same time, there are some funny sequences of cultural misunderstandings in which Delisle is trying to get across to his animators what changes he needs made to scenes.
I realized that comics was the perfect form for this book. Delisle would not have been allowed to photograph a lot of the places he visited. Comics are great for doing journalism (like Joe Sacco's books) and for memoirs (like Persepolis). Pyongyang is a bit of both.
The book also reminded me of the Tintin comics (and not just because it mentions Tintin). It is clearly influenced by Tintin creator Hergé's clear-line style, and Delisle draws himself with a bit of a quiff -- hair sticking up at the front of his head -- which cannot be a coincidence.
Labels: Comics, Graphic Novels, Tintin
Monday, June 04, 2007
Daisy Dreamer: Right Whale
In the June issue of Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer transforms into a North Atlantic Right Whale. These are amazing animals that spend their summers in the Bay of Fundy, here in Nova Scotia.
There are very few right whales left in the world -- probably only about 350. Right whales got their name because they are slow swimmers, and during the age of whaling, many of them were slaughtered. They were the right whale to kill, because they provided valuable oil and baleen, and were easy to capture.
In Chickadee, Daisy goes out on a boat with whale researchers. She learns about right whales and takes some very quick action to save one from danger.
When I can, I send links with photos to Gabriel Morrissette, the artist who does such a great job of drawing Daisy Dreamer. For this story, I sent a link to a company on Brier Island that does whale-watching tours. Gabriel drew his inspiration for the boat Daisy and Ravi are on from the website.
Then, about a month ago, when I was visiting Brier Island, I gave the kids an advance peek at the June comic (it hadn't been published yet). One of them put his hand right up in the air, and said, "That's my grandfather's boat!"
I thought that was pretty cool. When we come up with a story idea for Daisy, I sometimes forget that these are real places that she visits. I just think of them as somewhere to set a story. It was great to get a very real reminder that her adventures can sometimes be very close to home and real.
There are very few right whales left in the world -- probably only about 350. Right whales got their name because they are slow swimmers, and during the age of whaling, many of them were slaughtered. They were the right whale to kill, because they provided valuable oil and baleen, and were easy to capture.
In Chickadee, Daisy goes out on a boat with whale researchers. She learns about right whales and takes some very quick action to save one from danger.
When I can, I send links with photos to Gabriel Morrissette, the artist who does such a great job of drawing Daisy Dreamer. For this story, I sent a link to a company on Brier Island that does whale-watching tours. Gabriel drew his inspiration for the boat Daisy and Ravi are on from the website.
Then, about a month ago, when I was visiting Brier Island, I gave the kids an advance peek at the June comic (it hadn't been published yet). One of them put his hand right up in the air, and said, "That's my grandfather's boat!"
I thought that was pretty cool. When we come up with a story idea for Daisy, I sometimes forget that these are real places that she visits. I just think of them as somewhere to set a story. It was great to get a very real reminder that her adventures can sometimes be very close to home and real.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Writers in Schools