Week 1
We began JST by playing “Add On,” drawing one part of a carbon based creature and then passing it on the next artist. The exercise was ridiculous, fun, and oddly useful, and it set the tone for the rest of our JST. Northwestern lecturer and advisor Bill Savage came to talk with us about the history of comics. We learned about how the comic code led to censorship and the low quality of comic storytelling until the rise of comic book shops helped give the medium of graphic novels a new home and new freedoms of creativity. We also read a combined 600 pages from three great books: Making Comics by Scott McCloud, Nimona by Noelle Stevenson, and My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris, who has followed our progress on Instagram.
Week 2
The beginning of the week brought us to Comix Revolution (and a side trip to Barnes and Noble) to choose graphic novels to read on our own. We then shared with the group reviews of our selections and specific storytelling devices the artist-authors used effectively. We also took a field trip to see the Tuesday matinee of Into the Spider Verse, which employs in film form many of the visuals we have been studying in Scott McCloud’s Making Comics. On Wednesday afternoon, Hanu and Katie introduced the group to the wonders of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator in creating digital graphic stories. Thursday and Friday were devoted to character development and to the basic elements of shaping a story with a fully realized beginning, middle, and end. Students developed origin stories and early sketches for their characters and began shaping conflicts to resolve in their plots. For breaks, students ate vast quantities of gummy sharks and pretzel sticks, and engaged in rounds of Doodle Dice. They worked together to make sure Ms. Campbell did not beat Ellison.
Week 3
Having spent their weekends working fiercely on their stories, students arrived on Monday with detailed storyboards and sketches that left Ms. Campbell astounded. We discussed the do’s and don’ts of peer review and writing workshops. Then, everyone took a deep breath and waited for the onslaught of criticism and mockery. It never arrived. Instead, they helped each other see what worked successfully in each story, what needed some revision, and what additions might make the stories even stronger. The remainder of the week was spent on revisions and inking. By Friday, the work came together in this digital artifact you are reading now. We hope you enjoy the Orcs and wolves, Florida Man and the evil Statue of Liberty mech at least a fraction as much as we enjoyed this entire JST.