03 | Issue #3 Collaborations
| Summary | For Issue #3, we're opening the next stage of Andre Davis' - our comic's first created character during those early classroom collaborations - journey through collaboration. As Andre's abilities begin to emerge, we're inviting you to help us explore what he can do, how those changes affect him, and what becoming something extraordinary might ultimately mean for him. |
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| Core Personality Traits & Values | Andre is bright, inquisitive and self-reliant, always searching for the truth and a greater understanding of himself and others … but he may also be susceptible to the trappings of his newfound power … |
| Archetype | The Hero |
| Motto | “To dare is to do.” |
| Collaboration Background | Andre’s character was initially developed during the original Made Collaborative in-person classroom collaborations with youth in the fall and winter of 2013, as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago. |
| Debut | Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series |
A Quick Introduction
Many of our initial stories and characters in Back of the Yards aren’t really entirely ours. We are but humble stewards to the exciting new narrative avenues Jimmy Briseno discovered while facilitating the Made Collaborative After School Arts Program with real urban youth in Chicago in the winter of 2013.
Indeed, this entire project can be traced to a single, intrepid utterance by a young man whom we call “Andre.” It was a declaration that emboldened us all:
“I’ve got an idea. I know what story I want to tell. And it’s going to be great!”
Andre’s audacity, creativity and charm crystalized the vision we have for this whole enterprise. So, it is absolutely fitting that the character he inspired should step forward into a leading role for this first chapter of Back of the Yards: “Just Dreamin’.”
Andre's Story
The premise of Andre’s story is that Andre himself, as the main character, obtains “god-like” powers through a supernatural encounter in his Chicago neighborhood.
As originally described, the story begins with Andre and a friend walking to a house party of a known high school acquaintance. At the party, Andre sees some familiar faces and also some new ones. He meets Charmayne for the first time. The two banter as they get to know one another. Charmayne—one-half of a precocious pair of twins—challenges Andre’s rebellious and self-assured manner.
That is, until he hears some commotion outside.
Meanwhile …
Tamia is at the very same party. The party serves as the backdrop for an important point in her narrative, as well. Has she been betrayed? She’s been hearing rumors and fearing the worst. So, she confronts her boyfriend, Wilson, the young man with whom she’d spent one magical summer.
The bracing winds of autumn, however, have a way of revealing difficult truths. The young lovers argue. Wailing and in tears, Tamia dashes from the adolescent revelry.
The Wake-Up Call
A high-pitched whistle, or a siren, rings throughout the party. It’s so loud it’s painful! But only Andre can hear it.
Andre reels, bidding an abrupt farewell to Charmayne. He stumbles to the alley behind the house, the apparent source of the piercing tone. This is where the story takes an interesting turn—both in Andre’s tale and in the story of how the Made Collaborative project came to be.
While “Andre,” our participating youth, described his fantastic alleyway vision to Jimmy, the cinematic sweep of all the kids’ narratives took shape in Jimmy’s mind. There was potential here. It was palpable. These were all creative, fun and sometimes personal teenage stories, to be sure. But, to Jimmy, there seemed to be more to them than only that. As in dreams, the familiar sights and sounds of everyday life can also indicate hidden features of the collective unconscious.
Jimmy felt his suspense heighten as the youth continued his chronicle…
The Translucent Staircase
The alarming sound fades as Andre steps into the alley. He raises his eyes to the soft, pallid glow of what he assumes to be the full moon. Appearing in the middle of the alley, a flight of golden, translucent stairs lead towards the sky, beckoning Andre to ascend.
Ascend he does, where he finds himself in the smooth interior of a higher dimensional craft. He is greeted by a giant—one of the mysterious Secret Chiefs—who immediately speaks words of comfort and reassurance.
“Welcome, Andre. Please, don’t be alarmed. We’ve been expecting you.”
Having heard the otherworldly call to adventure, and answered, Andre can now worthily receive his revelation. The strange visitor explains that he has the power to make his dreams real. It is a power which, for now, distinguishes Andre from the other characters in Back of the Yards.
Fight!
Aloft in the moon-shaped craft, Andre observes others’ dreams, as well, like the video-game combat of Russell and Draymond. As their ninja alter egos, Teshue and Shiro, their sparring is cut short when they are attacked by a gang of bullies.
Andre feels compelled to intercede. Once again answering the hero’s call, he emerges from the dream craft as a heightened version of himself—a true superhero like the kind he draws in his sketchbooks. If not yet a god, Andre is now far more than mere mortal. Using his enhanced physical abilities, he easily beats back the bullies.
An Uncertain Future
We follow Andre’s journey as he comes to terms with his newly obtained powers, and begins to contemplate how he will use those powers as a teen still living in his inner-city neighborhood.
To be continued … in the Back of the Yards comic!
A Made Collaborative Studio Production
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
This Studio Card is part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project developed by the Made Collaborative Studio. You can learn more about our Creative Commons license by visiting the Explore the Studio page, but in short, what this means is that as a Creative Commons project, you can copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the content for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. And if you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license above.
If you’d like to explore the Back of the Yards comic further, you can see and access the Studio Card to your right and/or the related Studio Cards below. Thanks for collaborating with us!
Let's Collaborate!
Andre is one of the first characters we're introduced to within the initial issues of Back of the Yards. And, even though he plays a central role at the outset, there's still plenty of blanks to fill in on this creative young man's promising past and perplexing present!
Submit Your Artwork
The Made Collaborative Studio is fueled by your artistic contributions. We’re a community of artists and storytellers who want to build something supportive for creatives of all backgrounds and ages.
We encourage you to participate in our collaborative community by showing off some of your work. We may feature your artwork in the future. With this submission, we are would welcome in particular any illustrations that include the Andre character, but we welcome all of your submissions even if Andre is not included.
Table of Contents
Studio Cards Related to the Back of the Yards Comic Series Project
Studio Card #10: The Street Corner Mentor
Who is John Golden?
06 | Issue #3 Collaborations
10 | Issue #3 Collaborations
04 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Studio Card #5: The Hero’s Journey (Part II) – Initiation
12 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Who is Eric Nyamor?
Who is Jimmy Briseno?
11 | Issue #3 Collaborations
04 | Issue #3 Collaborations
| Summary | For Issue #3, we're opening the next stage in the journey of Tamia Parker - another character born from our earliest youth collaborations - to collaboration. As Tamia's dreams begin to blur with reality and she senses that something within her is changing, we're inviting you to help us explore what her transformation might become—and what it could ultimately mean for her. |
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| Core Personality Traits & Values | Tamia is extremely bright, curious, introspective and creative. She is an artist at heart, with empathy that forms connections with others in ways that she even doesn’t fully understand yet… |
| Archetype | The Creator |
| Motto | “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen |
| Collaboration Background | Tamia’s character was initially developed during the original Made Collaborative in-person classroom collaborations with youth in the fall and winter of 2013, as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago. |
| Debut | Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series |
Quick Introduction
Tamia Parker was a character inspired from the first round of youth collaborations in the West Side of Chicago. During those initial collaborations, Jimmy Briseno met with a number of youth who shared initial ideas for comic characters and storylines. One of those youth was a young African American girl from that West-Side neighborhood.
The young woman’s initial question to Jimmy was whether the comic stories could be based on be based on real life, and more specifically, relationships? When Jimmy affirmed that the characters and stories could be about whatever she wanted, she would go on to describe a recent relationship experience which was characterized by drama, deception and ultimately, heartbreak.
But as she explained her experience and her story premise, the young woman also emphasized to Jimmy that she didn’t want to tell this story to focus on a broken heart and the related drama from her relationship, but rather, she wanted to emphasize how that experience ultimately helped her grow as a person and look within herself to find her value as a woman.
And from there, the inspiration for the comic character of Tamia Parker was born, which we hope will in turn inspire many more collaborations to come.
Tamia's Story - First Love
The dizzying highs and lows have long inspired song and verse. Tamia Parker, like so many young girls her age, confides her deepest thoughts and feelings to a well-worn journal that she always carries with her.
For Tamia, her poems and drawings are both an escape and an inward journey of exploration to the potent and turbulent depths within herself. Adolescence is a time of profound inner and outer change, after all—a metamorphosis. In the rough waters of constant change, it can be difficult for some teens to find their place of centeredness—their axis mundi.
Young girls, especially, are often discouraged from developing their own voice and speaking their truth. This leads to a sense of inferiority and “smallness” among many young women. They don’t think their words and actions matter as much.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
We present Tamia’s self-esteem struggles visually by depicting her dreamworld avatar as a Fairie that has not yet blossomed into the full flowering of maturity. In Tamia’s dreams, she takes on the appearance and abilities of the Fairie. And, as the Fairie grows and evolves, so too will Tamia’s own sense of centeredness within herself.
An Unforgettable Chicago Summer
Perhaps it is a lack of centeredness that leaves so many teens vulnerable to manipulation by others. For Tamia, naive to the often treacherous ways of young love, she simply trusted too much.
During one unforgettable summer, she developed very strong feelings for an older boy in her Southside Chicago neighborhood. Wilson no longer attends New City High, where Tamia is currently a sophomore. He used to play basketball there. Wilson represented for Tamia an intoxicating mix of male athletic ability and a whiff of mature confidence she’d only seen in adults. Being a somewhat shy and serious girl for her age, his attentions were more than she could resist—not that she was all that interested in resisting.
And Wilson certainly appreciated the 10 fold attention she reciprocated. Wilson is good at cultivating attention for himself. He certainly enjoys receiving it from pretty young girls. Wilson basked in the warm glow of Tamia’s constant attention all summer long.
Autumn and the End of Innocence
The sharp, cold winds of autumn also reveal long-hidden truths. When the neighborhood kids go back to school, and the recent grads go off to the working world, higher education or to any number of adult endeavors, Wilson stays home, eschewing responsibility. He falls in with a group of troublemaking neighborhood boys who keep similarly idle agendas: no job, no educational ambitions and no other interests besides a hedonistic pursuit of the diversions of the moment.
As the leaves fall from the knotted old oaks, Back of the Yards, Tamia begins to sense the imbalance in her relationship. Was she just another of Wilson’s diversions? He walks her to school every morning, but then what does he do all day? And why has the boy who basked in her attention all summer long begun to respond sharply to her probing questions? Tamia is a mature young woman. Wilson’s age was once something that drew her to him. His potential and potency were why she fell in love with him. But in the same way that the falling leaves expose a great tree’s spindly branches, Wilson’s true nature is slowly revealed to Tamia.
She unwittingly becomes entangled in a love triangle of sorts with Wilson and another girl at her school named Natalie.
Tamia begins to hear rumors that her boyfriend, Wilson, was already seeing Natalie when the young lovers met. The revelation tests her sense of self as everything she believes (and wants to believe) is called into question.T
The Transformative Power of Creativity
When the real world seems like a dream, Tamia turns to creativity to map her inner reality. The after school arts program in Room 23 and its kind, clever, though peculiar facilitator, Mr. Castaneda, encourage her to develop her art and writing.
Tamia’s creativity enhances her resilience but also her intuition as her dreams begin revealing exactly what Wilson has been hiding from her (and the truths she’s hidden from herself).
Issue #1 of Back of the Yards ends in a shocking revelation: Tamia learns that Natalie is pregnant with Wilson’s child. This fact is confirmed to Tamia when she finally confronts her ex-boyfriend after hearing the rumors from other kids at her school. To overcome the heartbreak and betrayal, Tamia will have to summon vast reservoirs of strength. Though she may be in for a surprise when she learns the extent of all that she is capable of.
In the after school arts program, Tamia strikes up an immediate friendship with Russell. Even though he is younger, the pair seem to resonate on a similar frequency. Both have deep and complex inner lives. Also, Tamia may envy Russell’s sense of wonder and innocence. As we go through periods of growth in our lives, as Tamia is, the exchange we often make for greater power and self-mastery often comes at the expense of our innocence.
Summoning the Fairie
Tamia and Russell share more than a budding, though innocent friendship. The two appear to be linked in an as-yet inexplicable way in their dreams.
Both Russell (as Teshue) and his cousin, Draymond (as Shiro) are capable of summoning familiars to their aid. Shiro’s brutish and assertive personality is matched by his pet, Enyo, a feral war-hound with a pair of curving horns atop her head. She is a loyal and ferocious wolf that obeys Shiro’s every command.
Teshue has a more difficult time summoning his familiar, the Fairie, who seems to have a will all her own. Russell is not yet aware that the Fairie does, indeed, have a will of her own because she is Tamia’s dreamworld avatar.
The difficulty that Tamia—and, by extension, Russell—have in harnessing the power of the Fairie is indicative of the extent of her power. As the Fairie continues to evolve, more powers and abilities will be revealed. But until then, both Tamia and Russell will struggle greatly to truly know themselves.
Perhaps it is some intuitive knowledge of this great yet deeply hidden power still locked within both Tamia and Russell that draws them together as allies in the seen and unseen worlds.
Their heroic journeys are quite different than that of Andre, who experiences his power in a sudden, almost uncontrollable rush. Even so, Andre is linked to the other two in ways he’s only beginning to figure out for himself.
The Call to Adventure Beyond Time and Space
When Andre is called to the craft of the Secret Chiefs, it is by a sound that resonates beyond this dimension. It is a single note from the music of the spheres, a tone that can only be heard by those chosen to hear it.
Andre eagerly answers his call to adventure. But, because of the non-linear nature of higher dimensional travel, it isn’t until a bit later that we learn the source of that call: Tamia in her Fairie-form.
Tamia was, in fact, summoned by Russell (as Teshue), who, at a key moment that would have sent many others into panic, Russell instead becomes calm and focused. His mind quieted by a deep sense of concentration from the still waters within his psyche, Teshue beckons the Fairie to join the battle.
The Fairie cries out her extra-dimensional alarm, back through time and up into the mysterious craft from which Andre incredulously observes the perilous goings-on below. When Andre emerges to save the day in his heightened, lion-form, the paradoxical time loop is closed. The cycle is complete.
Andre makes quick work of the bullies who threaten Teshue and Shiro. It’s at this point when an epiphany strikes Tamia, too. One of the thugs seems to have a connection to her philandering boyfriend, Wilson. Tamia’s intuitive dream senses provide her some glimpse of the truth. Natalie is pregnant with Wilson’s child.
Mr. Castaneda’s Guidance
Mr. Castaneda can see the potential brewing within all the students he’s personally chosen to take part in his after school arts program. Exactly who Mr. Castaneda is and what his connection might be to the bizarre, god-like travelers known as the Secret Chiefs is a story for another day. But whatever his ultimate purpose may be, his current agenda seems focused on pushing his students—like Tamia—to explore the bounds of their creative powers.
Tamia will develop a unique relationship with Mr. Castaneda, who will provide a comforting perspective as she struggles through her relationship troubles, and who will challenge her to become more when he believes she is ready to accept the truth about her power.
As she cries one night, after having had a fight with Wilson, she thinks to herself, between sobs, that art is how one can make their true selves visible to the world. This is more than Mr. Castaneda’s comforting wisdom, and more than a creative conceit of our far-out comic book adventure. It is Made Collaborative’s mission to make visible the hidden power of the project’s participating urban youth.
By helping to give a voice to the real kids in the Made Collaborative Project, we hope to unleash the limitless power within each of them.
A Made Collaborative Production
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
This Studio Card is part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project developed by the Made Collaborative Studio. You can learn more about our Creative Commons license by visiting the Explore the Studio page, but in short, what this means is that as a Creative Commons project, you can copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the content for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. And if you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license above.
If you’d like to explore the Back of the Yards comic further, you can see and access the Studio Card to your right and/or the related Studio Cards below. Thanks for collaborating with us!
Let's Collaborate!
Tamia writes poetry, draws and she is learning to paint. She is also a powerful and graceful athlete. Her creativity and artistic discipline are certainly an asset to her as she grows into womanhood, but how will these talents develop? And where will her yet-to-be-written coming-of-age story take her?
Submit Your Artwork
The Made Collaborative Studio is fueled by your artistic contributions. We’re a community of artists and storytellers who want to build something supportive for creatives of all backgrounds and ages.
We encourage you to participate in our collaborative community by showing off some of your work. We may feature your artwork in the future.
Table of Contents
Studio Cards Related to the Back of the Yards Comic Series Project
Studio Card #5: The Hero’s Journey (Part II) – Initiation
11 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Who is John Golden?
Older Studio Card #1 | Let’s Create a Character(s)!
Studio Card #3 – Creating a Character (Part II)
Who is Dan Dougherty?
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
OLD Studio Card #1 | Let’s Create a Character(s)!
Studio Card #11: Our Gentle Giant Everyman
04 | Issue #3 Collaborations
05 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Cerria Cortez
| Summary | For Issue #3, we're opening the story of Cerria Cortez - one of the newest characters entering the world of Back of the Yards - to collaboration. A military veteran, young Chicago police officer and Nick Zomski's new partner, Cortez carries her own history into the neighborhood. We're inviting you to help us explore the people, places and experiences that shaped her, including the tattoos she carries and the stories behind them. |
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| Core Personality Traits & Values | Cerria is fiercely independent, emotionally guarded, highly intelligent, and driven by a deep belief that truth, justice, and personal determination can still challenge broken systems |
| Archetype | TBD - [Eric to Determine] |
| Motto | TBD - [Eric to Develop] |
| Collaboration Background | Cerria Cortez was developed by Eric Nyamor in collaboration with Tony Maldonado, Len Kody, and Jimmy Briseno as part of the Issue #3 pre-production workshops during the summer of 2026. |
| Debut | Issue #3 of the Back of the Yards comic series |
Quick Introduction
Shaped by Survival
Cerria’s childhood was shaped by instability, emotional hypervigilance, and survival. Raised in a working-class Latino household on Chicago’s West Side, she grew up under the shadow of an abusive and alcoholic father whose violence left lasting emotional scars on the family. From an early age, Cerria learned how to read danger before it fully arrived — developing the instincts, emotional awareness, and guarded independence that would later define her as both an officer and investigator.
The defining trauma of her childhood occurred during a violent altercation inside the family home. As her father assaulted her mother and suddenly turned toward Cerria, her older sister intervened and fatally shot him in what she believed was an act of protection. Despite the circumstances, her sister was later charged with manslaughter, leaving Cerria with a permanent distrust of simplistic narratives and institutional judgments. The experience became foundational to her worldview: systems often fail the people trapped inside them.
In the years that followed, Cerria formed a close relationship with a man known in the neighborhood simply as “Peaches,” who ran a neighborhood youth program at the time. Unlike many authority figures in her life, Peaches never treated her as broken or fragile. Instead, he recognized both her intelligence and the emotional armor she had already begun building around herself. Over time, he became one of the few stable and grounding influences in her life.
Veteran, Police Officer & Future Attorney
As Cerria grew older, she became increasingly determined to build structure, discipline, and independence for herself. Military service offered her an opportunity to escape instability, challenge herself, and gain control over a life that had often felt shaped by chaos and reaction.
After returning to Chicago, Cerria chose to enter law enforcement with the belief that meaningful change was still possible within institutions — even flawed ones. Unlike many older officers who had grown cynical or detached, she approached policing with urgency and purpose.
At the same time, Cerria’s long-term aspirations extend beyond policing itself. While serving as an officer, she also pursues law school part-time with the ultimate goal of becoming a criminal defense attorney. To Cerria, the law represents another battlefield in the broader struggle for truth and justice.
A Relentless Search for Truth & Justice
In present-day Back of the Yards, Cerria’s investigative instincts begin pulling her toward patterns others have long stopped questioning. Alongside her older partner Nick Zomski, she investigates escalating violence, disappearances, and growing instability spreading throughout the neighborhood. While Zomski approaches the streets with the caution and quiet instincts of someone who has spent decades surviving Chicago’s corruption and political realities, Cerria pushes relentlessly for answers — creating a partnership shaped by tension, mutual respect, and fundamentally different views of the system they serve.
As the two officers dig deeper, Cerria begins uncovering buried police reports, forgotten cases, and inconsistencies that suggest the neighborhood has been shaped by hidden forces operating beneath the surface for decades. The more she uncovers, the more she begins to question exactly how much Zomski knows — and whether his connection to the neighborhood’s past runs far deeper than he has allowed her to see.
Unlike many around her, Cerria refuses to look away. Her search for truth becomes more than an investigation — it becomes a confrontation with the very structures that shape Back of the Yards itself: policing, organized crime, politics, fear, and the lingering weight of buried secrets.
Let's Collaborate!
Now that you have a sense of who Cerria Cortez is and the broader storyline surrounding his character, we invite you to collaborate with us in helping shape his continued development. Your responses to these collaborative prompts will be regularly reviewed by Cortez’ creator, Eric Nyamor, together with our Studio Board.
Selected ideas and contributions may ultimately become part of Cortez’ evolving core canon moving forward, with Creative Commons credit attributed to you as a contributor. Additional submissions may also be selected for expanded development and discussion through our virtual collaboration workshops. [ERIC TO REVIEW AND UPDATE THE COLLABORATIVE PROMPTS.]
Cortez' Everyday Humanity
- What kind of music does Cerria listen to?
- What food instantly reminds her of home or childhood?
- What tattoo(s) does Cerria have — and what does it/they symbolize?
- What does Cerria do when she cannot sleep?
- What is one thing she pretends not to care about, but actually cares about deeply?
- What is Cerria surprisingly good at outside of police work?
- What does she keep inside her patrol bag that nobody knows about?
Cortez' Military Experience
- Did Cerria form a close friendship in the military that she later lost contact with — and why?
- What skill or instinct from the military gives her an advantage on the streets of Chicago today?
- Did Cerria ever receive recognition, discipline, or both during her service?
- What kind of environments or assignments was she most effective in during the military?
- What part of military culture did Cerria respect most — and what part frustrated her?
- What habit or routine from military life does Cerria still follow every day without realizing it?
- What does Cerria miss most about military service?
Table of Contents
Studio Cards Related to the Back of the Yards Comic Series Project
09 | Issue #3 Collaborations
12 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Who is Jimmy Briseno?
06 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Older Studio Card #1 | Let’s Create a Character(s)!
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
11 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Who is Eric Nyamor?
Who is John Golden?
Studio Card #2 | Creating Your Own Hero’s Journey!
06 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Nick Zomski
| Summary | For Issue #3, we're also introducing Nick Zomski - a veteran Chicago police officer whose past may hold clues to what is happening in the present - and opening his story to collaboration. More than thirty years ago, a younger Zomski crossed paths with Darius King and an investigation that was never fully resolved. As Zomski makes his debut in Issue #3, we're inviting you to help us explore what he remembers from 1994, and what he may recognize today that others do not. |
|---|---|
| Core Personality Traits & Values | Quiet, observant, and deeply pragmatic, Zomski values fairness, survival, loyalty, and maintaining order within systems he no longer fully trusts. |
| Archetype | TBD - [Tony to Determine] |
| Motto | TBD - [Tony to Develop] |
| Collaboration Background | Nick Zomski was developed by Tony Maldonado in collaboration with Eric Nyamor, Len Kody, and Jimmy Briseno as part of the Issue #3 pre-production workshops during the summer of 2026. |
| Debut | Issue #3 of the Back of the Yards comic series |
Quick Introduction
The Seasoned Officer
Nick Zomski is a veteran Chicago police officer approaching retirement after more than three decades navigating the shifting criminal and political landscape of the fictional Back of the Yards neighborhood.
Quiet, guarded, and deeply observant, Zomski has earned a reputation over the years as a fair and dependable officer — someone who treats ordinary people with a level of respect uncommon within the city’s machinery. Yet beneath his calm exterior lies the weight of a past he rarely speaks about, shaped by years spent operating within systems where truth, loyalty, and survival often blur together.
Though no longer driven by ambition, Zomski possesses a sharp intuition and awareness that continue to make him dangerous when circumstances demand it.
The Hushed Rumors
Much of the mystery surrounding Zomski traces back to the summer of 1986, when Back of the Yards entered a strange and deeply unsettled period marked by escalating violence, unexplained disappearances, and growing instability throughout the neighborhood.
Most notably, the sudden disappearance of Darius King — a rising and deeply polarizing figure within the neighborhood’s criminal ecosystem — triggered years of rumors and speculation. Officially, little was ever connected. Unofficially, whispers persisted that certain police officers, criminal figures, and political interests may have been tied to events occurring behind the scenes during that time.
Zomski’s name occasionally surfaces within those hushed conversations due to his presence in the neighborhood – along with his then-partner, Jarek Kowalczyk – and their connection to certain reports from that era. Though few who know him can fully reconcile those rumors with the man they otherwise know or remember. Still, decades later, the ambiguity surrounding that period has never fully faded.
A New Partner, New Sense of Danger ... and Hope?
Now partnered with the younger and highly ambitious Cerria Cortez, Zomski finds himself pulled back toward unresolved tensions from the past as a new pattern of violence and disappearances begins emerging across Back of the Yards once again.
While Cortez believes systems can still be challenged and changed, Zomski understands how easily institutions bury uncomfortable truths beneath silence, fear, and political convenience.
As their investigation deepens, long-buried memories, hidden relationships, and lingering questions surrounding the events of 1986 begin resurfacing — forcing Zomski to confront not only what may have happened all those years ago, but the uncertain role he himself may have played within it.
Where the Past Returns
Beyond the day-to-day realities of gangs, political influence, police pressure, economic decline, and shifting neighborhood loyalties, there is a growing sense that Back of the Yards is once again drifting toward the kind of instability that defined parts of the late 1980s. Unresolved violence, buried investigations, disappearances, and decisions made in the name of survival or control never truly disappeared — their consequences continued quietly beneath the surface, shaping relationships, institutions, and the balance of power within the neighborhood for decades.
As new violence and tensions emerge in the present day, individuals from different generations gradually find themselves pulled into the same unfolding conflict. Zomski is forced to confront unresolved truths tied to his own past, while Andre Davis, Carl Castaneda, Cerria Cortez, and others begin uncovering how deeply connected the neighborhood’s present instability is to forces that have quietly shaped Back of the Yards for years.
Let's Collaborate!
Now that you have a sense of who Nick Zomski is and the broader storyline surrounding his character, we invite you to collaborate with us in helping shape his continued development. Your responses to these collaborative prompts will be regularly reviewed by Zomski’s creator, Tony Maldonado, together with our Studio Board.
Selected ideas and contributions may ultimately become part of Zomski’s evolving core canon moving forward, with Creative Commons credit attributed to you as a contributor. Additional submissions may also be selected for expanded development and discussion through our virtual collaboration workshops. [TONY TO REVIEW AND UPDATE THE COLLABORATIVE PROMPTS.]
Zomski’s Everyday Humanity
- What does Zomski do when he is alone?
- What habits has he developed over the years?
- What kind of music, food, routines, or places bring him comfort?
- Does he have humor? Is he awkward? Quiet? Protective?
- What personal item does he always carry?
Small Zomski Character Details That Can Become Canon
- What phrase does Zomski repeat often?
- Does he smoke? Drink coffee constantly? Keep notebooks?
- Does he avoid eye contact?
- What does his home look like?
- What car does he drive and why has he kept it so long?
Table of Contents
Studio Cards Related to the Back of the Yards Comic Series Project
Studio Card #5: The Hero’s Journey (Part II) – Initiation
Who is Manny Dominguez?
Studio Card #10: The Street Corner Mentor
Action Card #4: Create an Illustration!
Who is Len Kody?
Who is Eric Nyamor?
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Google Form Widget
06 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Studio Card #2 | Creating Your Own Hero’s Journey!
07 | Issue #3 Collaborations
| Summary | For Issue #3, we're opening the mysterious world of Carl Castañeda - and Room 23 - to collaboration. Castañeda has quietly connected the journeys of Andre, Tamia and others from the beginning, but much about who he is, what he knows and the strange space known as Room 23 remains unexplored. We're inviting you to help us imagine what lies inside Room 23, what purpose it serves, and what it might reveal about Castañeda and the larger forces shaping the world of Back of the Yards. |
|---|---|
| Core Personality Traits & Values | He clearly knows more than what he is saying, but the best teachers do not give they answers but merely point the way. |
| Primary Archetype | The Mentor |
| Motto | “Your dreams are part of the same primal energy that brings all existence into being!” |
| Collaboration Background | Mr. Castañeda is a character developed by Len Kody. He is a way of tying the various narratives and characters created by the first wave of participating youth as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago. |
| Debut | Issue #2 of the Back of the Yards comic series |
Quick Introduction
Carl Castaneda - Did He Just Appear Out of Thin Air?
Mr. Castañeda has the poise and bearing of a seasoned teacher. But nobody knows who he is. Mr. Castañeda may or may not be a real teacher, but his afterschool arts program is ardently attended by those in the know.
Their regular meetings in Room 23 are no secret, nor are they what one would call common knowledge. By all appearances, Mr. Castañeda handpicks young people of promise and extends them a personal invitation.
His recruitment efforts have been fruitful. Tamia and Russell are both already in the program. Andre was recently invited.
Mr. Castañeda knows more than what he is saying. Which is a little staggering, when you think about it, because he says an awful lot. He speaks to his students as a shaman would to his apprentices, seeming to prepare them for some future challenge. He encourages them to see the intrinsic power within themselves.
“Calm yourself,” he says to two fighting students, “Your anger is your weakness.”
In his classroom lecture, Mr. Castañeda alludes to celebrated comic book scholar Scott McCloud and his theory of art: “It is a happy fact of human existence that we simply can’t spend every waking hour eating and having sex!”
Art, Castañeda explains, is an elevated, almost sacred human activity, because it is not motivated by life’s two most compelling instincts—survival and reproduction.
McCloud puts the whole artistic enterprise of our civilization into perspective, observing that art is what we expressive apes will inevitably do “when we just don’t have a thing to do!”
Be that as it may, McCloud only leaves us with a pithy definition of art. As for its purpose?
Mr. Castañeda has some thoughts to share on that, as well.
“Your dreams are part of the primal energy that brings all existence into being!”
A Rendezvous With the Secret Chiefs
Meeting the Mentor
While it’s true that Mr. Castañeda plays the role of mentor in the present day to Andre, Tamia and his students in the New City High After School Arts Program, earlier in his journey, Carl needed a mentor of his own to help guide him on his path of discovery.
Sancho Panza is the shaman that Castañeda encounters during his time in Mexico. We already know that Sancho is wise, kind and a little crazy. But who is he? How did he come to be a shaman? And, most importantly, what will the further adventures of Carl Castañeda and Sancho Panza look like?
That’s where we believe you, our clever collaborators, will be of some assistance.
A Made Collaborative Production
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
This Studio Card is part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project developed by the Made Collaborative Studio. You can learn more about our Creative Commons license by visiting the Explore the Studio page, but in short, what this means is that as a Creative Commons project, you can copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the content for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. And if you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license above.
If you’d like to explore the Back of the Yards comic further, you can see and access the Studio Card to your right and/or the related Studio Cards below. Thanks for collaborating with us!
Let's Collaborate!
Carl Castañeda is a mystery wrapped within an enigma! So, collaborators have plenty of blank canvas to work with here. We plan to reveal this character's cryptic backstory slowly, but maybe one of the seeds you help us plant will grow into a fully-fledged storyline.
Submit Your Artwork
The Made Collaborative Studio is fueled by your artistic contributions. We’re a community of artists and storytellers who want to build something supportive for creatives of all backgrounds and ages.
We encourage you to participate in our collaborative community by showing off some of your work. We may feature your artwork in the future.
Table of Contents
Related Studio Cards to the Back of the Yards Comic Series
Studio Card #6: Our Young Dreamer
Studio Card #8: Neighborhoods & Their Residents
Studio Card #3 – Creating a Character (Part II)
02 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Who is Eric Nyamor?
Studio Card #2 | Creating Your Own Hero’s Journey!
Older Studio Card #1 | Let’s Create a Character(s)!
Studio Card #3 – Creating a Character (Part II)
Google Form Widget
04 | Issue #3 Collaborations
09 | Issue #3 Collaborations
| Summary | For our second Issue #3 collaboration centered on Andre Davis, we're opening the pages of his notebook—and inviting artists and young creators to help us fill them. Earlier, we explored Andre's emerging abilities and what becoming extraordinary might mean for him. This time, we're turning to his creative side: what might Andre draw, sketch, write or create when no one else is looking? Selected contributions may ultimately appear inside Andre's notebook in the finished comic. |
|---|---|
| Core Personality Traits & Values | Andre is bright, inquisitive and self-reliant, always searching for the truth and a greater understanding of himself and others … but he may also be susceptible to the trappings of his newfound power … |
| Archetype | The Hero |
| Motto | “To dare is to do.” |
| Collaboration Background | Andre’s character was initially developed during the original Made Collaborative in-person classroom collaborations with youth in the fall and winter of 2013, as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago. |
| Debut | Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series |
A Quick Introduction
Many of our initial stories and characters in Back of the Yards aren’t really entirely ours. We are but humble stewards to the exciting new narrative avenues Jimmy Briseno discovered while facilitating the Made Collaborative After School Arts Program with real urban youth in Chicago in the winter of 2013.
Indeed, this entire project can be traced to a single, intrepid utterance by a young man whom we call “Andre.” It was a declaration that emboldened us all:
“I’ve got an idea. I know what story I want to tell. And it’s going to be great!”
Andre’s audacity, creativity and charm crystalized the vision we have for this whole enterprise. So, it is absolutely fitting that the character he inspired should step forward into a leading role for this first chapter of Back of the Yards: “Just Dreamin’.”
Andre's Story
The premise of Andre’s story is that Andre himself, as the main character, obtains “god-like” powers through a supernatural encounter in his Chicago neighborhood.
As originally described, the story begins with Andre and a friend walking to a house party of a known high school acquaintance. At the party, Andre sees some familiar faces and also some new ones. He meets Charmayne for the first time. The two banter as they get to know one another. Charmayne—one-half of a precocious pair of twins—challenges Andre’s rebellious and self-assured manner.
That is, until he hears some commotion outside.
Meanwhile …
Tamia is at the very same party. The party serves as the backdrop for an important point in her narrative, as well. Has she been betrayed? She’s been hearing rumors and fearing the worst. So, she confronts her boyfriend, Wilson, the young man with whom she’d spent one magical summer.
The bracing winds of autumn, however, have a way of revealing difficult truths. The young lovers argue. Wailing and in tears, Tamia dashes from the adolescent revelry.
The Wake-Up Call
A high-pitched whistle, or a siren, rings throughout the party. It’s so loud it’s painful! But only Andre can hear it.
Andre reels, bidding an abrupt farewell to Charmayne. He stumbles to the alley behind the house, the apparent source of the piercing tone. This is where the story takes an interesting turn—both in Andre’s tale and in the story of how the Made Collaborative project came to be.
While “Andre,” our participating youth, described his fantastic alleyway vision to Jimmy, the cinematic sweep of all the kids’ narratives took shape in Jimmy’s mind. There was potential here. It was palpable. These were all creative, fun and sometimes personal teenage stories, to be sure. But, to Jimmy, there seemed to be more to them than only that. As in dreams, the familiar sights and sounds of everyday life can also indicate hidden features of the collective unconscious.
Jimmy felt his suspense heighten as the youth continued his chronicle…
The Translucent Staircase
The alarming sound fades as Andre steps into the alley. He raises his eyes to the soft, pallid glow of what he assumes to be the full moon. Appearing in the middle of the alley, a flight of golden, translucent stairs lead towards the sky, beckoning Andre to ascend.
Ascend he does, where he finds himself in the smooth interior of a higher dimensional craft. He is greeted by a giant—one of the mysterious Secret Chiefs—who immediately speaks words of comfort and reassurance.
“Welcome, Andre. Please, don’t be alarmed. We’ve been expecting you.”
Having heard the otherworldly call to adventure, and answered, Andre can now worthily receive his revelation. The strange visitor explains that he has the power to make his dreams real. It is a power which, for now, distinguishes Andre from the other characters in Back of the Yards.
Fight!
Aloft in the moon-shaped craft, Andre observes others’ dreams, as well, like the video-game combat of Russell and Draymond. As their ninja alter egos, Teshue and Shiro, their sparring is cut short when they are attacked by a gang of bullies.
Andre feels compelled to intercede. Once again answering the hero’s call, he emerges from the dream craft as a heightened version of himself—a true superhero like the kind he draws in his sketchbooks. If not yet a god, Andre is now far more than mere mortal. Using his enhanced physical abilities, he easily beats back the bullies.
An Uncertain Future
We follow Andre’s journey as he comes to terms with his newly obtained powers, and begins to contemplate how he will use those powers as a teen still living in his inner-city neighborhood.
To be continued … in the Back of the Yards comic!
A Made Collaborative Studio Production
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
This Studio Card is part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project developed by the Made Collaborative Studio. You can learn more about our Creative Commons license by visiting the Explore the Studio page, but in short, what this means is that as a Creative Commons project, you can copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the content for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. And if you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license above.
If you’d like to explore the Back of the Yards comic further, you can see and access the Studio Card to your right and/or the related Studio Cards below. Thanks for collaborating with us!
Let's Collaborate!
Andre is one of the first characters we're introduced to within the initial issues of Back of the Yards. And, even though he plays a central role at the outset, there's still plenty of blanks to fill in on this creative young man's promising past and perplexing present!
Submit Your Artwork
The Made Collaborative Studio is fueled by your artistic contributions. We’re a community of artists and storytellers who want to build something supportive for creatives of all backgrounds and ages.
We encourage you to participate in our collaborative community by showing off some of your work. We may feature your artwork in the future. With this submission, we are would welcome in particular any illustrations that include the Andre character, but we welcome all of your submissions even if Andre is not included.
Table of Contents
Studio Cards Related to the Back of the Yards Comic Series Project
06 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Source Card #9: Crossing the Threshold Every Day
Studio Card#17: Who is Draymond Carter?
Who is Len Kody?
Google Form Widget
10 | Issue #3 Collaborations
04 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Who is Eric Nyamor?
Studio Card #5: The Hero’s Journey (Part II) – Initiation
08 | Issue #3 Collaborations