Google Form Widget

Who is ...

Russell Patterson?

Summary Traits	Russell is a very shy and creative young man. He is a grade or two younger than the rest of our young principal characters.
Core Personality Traits & Values	Russell Patterson has an extremely vivid imagination and a very active dream life. He just may be the most talented and creative student at New City High, but he lacks confidence so he too often daydreams as a means of escape.
Archetype	The Dreamer
Motto	“It is okay to live a life that others don't understand”
Collaboration Background	Russell’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

Let's Collaborate

There’s a magical time in a young person’s life, before the opposite sex becomes quite so interesting, when the diaphanous membrane between dreams and reality is at its most permeable. It’s a time when dreams can be shared easily between those with whom we’ve forged a special, life-long bond.

Russel and Draymond are cousins—but more like brothers, really—and they share a common dream iconography made up of interwoven archetypes and meta-narratives. Together, they intermittently inhabit a whole universe of stories that are both created and experienced by the two.

Related Studio Cards

Who is…
Big Earl?

Studio Card #11: Our Gentle Giant Everyman

Summary

"Big Earl" is a comic character developed as part of the Back of the Yards comic series; a Creative Commons project produced by the Made Collaborative Studio. Big Earl is a big man with a big heart. Beloved by all in the neighborhood, everybody knows his name and has heard a story or two about this gentle giant.

Core Personality Traits & Values

Earl was the neighborhood football hero before an injury pushed him to the sidelines. And undiagnosed dyslexia prevented him for excelling in school. But Earl’s kind soul and balanced nature granted him resilience through life’s toughest struggles.

Primary Archetype

The Everyman

Motto

“If I didn’t get hurt, then I would never have found me.”

Collaboration Background

Big Earl was developed by Jimmy Briseno and Len Kody in 2015 as part of the initial Issue 1 scripting process.

Debut

Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series

Who is…
Dan Dougherty?

Who is Dan Dougherty?

Summary Traits

TBD

Core Personality Traits & Values

TBD

Archetype

The Magician

Motto

TBD

Collaboration Background

TBD

Debut

Eric started working with Jimmy Briseno and Manny Dominguez in the very early days of this Made Collaborative project back in 2014, during initial meetings with youth in the after school programs of Chicago.

Who is…
Draymond Carter?

Studio Card#17: Who is Draymond Carter?

Brief

Draymond Carter is a comic character developed as part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project produced by the Made Collaborative Studio. Draymond is Russell Patterson’s fiery-tempered younger cousin. But the cousins are more like brothers ever since Russell moved in with his Auntie, Evelyn (Draymond’s mother).

Core Personality

Draymond’s extroverted and assertive personality is a stark contrast to Russell’s more gentle and introverted nature.

Archetype

The Sidekick

Motto

“You're going to lose.”

Collaboration Background

Draymond was developed by Jimmy Briseno and Len Kody as part of the initial Issue 1 scripting process.

Debut

Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series

All Stories Start With

A Great Character!

Older Studio Card #1 | Let’s Create a Character(s)!

Brief

Welcome to the Made Collaborative Studio! This Studio Card #2 represents your first step on a creative journey with us. We begin this collaborative virtual studio just as it began in a classroom in the West Side of Chicago years ago - by providing you with an opportunity to create your own original comic character(s).

Scope

As you might expect, creative collaboration is at the heart of the Made Collaborative Studio. We believe in sharing stories, intertwining ideas and giving a voice to participating urban youth and collaborators like you. ALL OF YOUR STORIES MATTER. And that's why we begin this virtual journey with the creation of your own original character, some of which may be including in our Back of the Yards comic series!

This & That

The most intriguing submissions to this and all of our Studio Card may highlighted on our website. We'll showcase them on our "This & That" blog. And a few of you may also be invited to take part in one of our regular Zoom workshop sessions to further develop selected characters.

Who is…
Len Kody?

Who is Len Kody?

Brief

Storyteller, troublemaker and a native son of Chicago, Len Kody serves as the Creative Director and Chief of Marketing for the Made Collaborative Studio. Professionally, Len's career has seen many moons and seasons, including six years as a public school English Teacher in both Chicago and LA.

Core Personality Traits & Values

Made Collaborative's mission marries Len's most ardent aspirations with his prolific passions. He's a crusader and a creator who believes in the power of comics and creativity to change the world.

Archetype

The Magician

Motto

“I can do this all day.”

Collaboration Background

As a writer, Len has been collaborating to create comics for casual consumption since he was a kid. His recent efforts include Chicago: 1968 (with Tony Maldonado) and Master Jesus (with Steve Bialik).

Debut

Project founder Jimmy Briseno tapped Len shortly after Made Collaborative's initial outreach to urban youth.

The Monahans!
Andre’s Favorite Comic!

The Monahans!

Summary

TBD

When

TBD

Who

TBD

Why

TBD

Who is…
Dex?

Studio Card #12: We All Have That One Trickster In Our Life

Summary

Dexter Coleman is a comic character developed as part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project produced by the Made Collaborative Studio. "Dex" is one of the last of a previous generation of neighborhood troublemakers who are alive and not in prison. He’s gone (mostly) straight in his older years, trying his best to make amends for the bad deeds of his youth.

Core Personality Traits & Values

Dex is a wisecracker, a sharp dresser and a straight talker. Even though his moral compass has evolved over the years into that of a respectable citizen of Back of the Yards, he’s still known to indulge in a few vices.

Primary Archetype

The Rebel

Motto

“I ain’t got time for dreamin’. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

Collaboration Background

Dex was developed by Jimmy Briseno and Len Kody as part of the initial Issue 1 scripting process.

Debut

Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series

Who is…
Russell Patterson?