01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
| Brief | Welcome to the Issue #3 Collaborations! This anchor Studio Card introduces Back of the Yards, a Creative Commons comic series developed by the Made Collaborative Studio. Set on Chicago's West Side, the story follows a young man whose seemingly supernatural encounter leads him on a journey to discover what is real, what lies beneath the surface of his neighborhood, and how the lives of those around him are connected. With this Studio Card, we invite you to explore the world of Back of the Yards and help shape Issue #3 through a series of creative collaborations. |
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| When | Our story moves between past and present, exploring how events, relationships and decisions from earlier generations continue to shape the lives of characters today. As we develop Issue #3, we'll uncover more of the neighborhood's history and the mysteries connecting its past to its present. |
| Who | Meet the students, neighborhood Elders, families, law enforcement officers and other personalities who inhabit Back of the Yards. From Andre Davis and Tamia Parker to characters whose stories have yet to be fully revealed, each brings a different perspective to the neighborhood and its unfolding mysteries. |
| Why | Every neighborhood has stories worth tellin g— and every person has something to contribute. Through our Studio Cards and creative Workshops, we're inviting collaborators to help develop the characters, places, artwork and story possibilities that may shape Issue #3 and the future of Back of the Yards. |
The Back of the Yards Comic
Back of the Yards is an original comic series built through collaboration.
Set in a fictionalized version of Chicago’s real Back of the Yards neighborhood, the series grew from characters, stories and ideas first imagined by young people participating in Made Collaborative’s after-school workshops—and developed alongside professional comic artists and writers.
Two issues later, the story continues.
And with Issue #3 now in development, we’re opening the creative process again.
A Quick Note on How We Got Here Before Jumping Into the Comic Itself ...
It started with a pretty modest idea.
Before there was a comic book, a Studio, or even much of a plan for what Back of the Yards might become, there were a handful of after-school workshops and a simple idea:
What if we asked young people to create – and then treated what they created as something that mattered?
There wasn’t a publishing operation behind it. There wasn’t a fully imagined comic-book universe waiting to be filled. The project began much more simply: sitting down with young people, talking about stories, drawing characters, imagining neighborhoods, and seeing what happened.
And some interesting things happened.
Characters began to emerge.
Andre Davis. Tamia Parker. Russell Patterson.
They weren’t created as pieces of a carefully planned comic-book mythology. They grew out of those early collaborations — ideas imagined by young people and developed through the workshops.
The challenge came afterward:
What do we do with them?
That question eventually brought professional artists and writers into the process. Working through what would become the Made Collaborative Studio, Len Kody and Jimmy Briseno began developing a larger narrative around those original ideas.
New characters emerged along the way. Carl Castañeda. Dex Coleman. Peaches. Big Earl.
They weren’t part of the original youth workshops. They were created by the Studio to give those original characters relationships, history, conflict and a larger world in which their stories could unfold.
Little by little, something that began with modest means and a handful of ideas started becoming a comic.
That became Back of the Yards.
And now, as we build Issue #3, we’re returning to essentially the same question that started all of this:
What happens when you invite other people into the creative process – and take their ideas seriously?
You can learn more about Made Collaborative and the project’s early origins on our About page.
But for now, we’d rather show you what came from those early collaborations. What began with a handful of young people, some ideas and a pretty modest experiment eventually became the first two issues of Back of the Yards.
So let’s start at the beginning.
Read the Story So Far
Issue #1
This is where the story begins.
At the heart of our first issue are Andre Davis, Tamia Parker, Russell Patterson and Draymond Carter. Andre, Tamia and Russell trace their origins directly to Made Collaborative’s earliest classroom collaborations, where participating youth helped imagine the characters, experiences and ideas that would become the foundation of Back of the Yards.
In Issue #1, we meet them as their separate stories begin to take shape. Andre is thoughtful and imaginative. Tamia is creative, strong-willed and independent. And Russell and his friend Draymond share an imagination capable of transforming the ordinary world around them into something much bigger.
Their stories may begin separately, but they are part of a world that is only beginning to reveal itself. This is where we first meet them — and where Back of the Yards begins.
Issue #2
As the stories of our original characters began to develop, the Studio faced a new creative challenge:
How do we connect them?
Issue #2 begins to reveal some of the answer. Characters including Carl Castañeda and the Elders – Dex Coleman, Peaches and Big Earl – were developed through the Studio (led by Len Kody, Jimmy Briseno and participating artists like John Golden, Dan Dougherty, Eric Nyamor and Tony Maldanado) to help build a larger narrative around the characters and ideas that emerged from those original youth collaborations.
Their arrival begins connecting individual stories to a much larger history – and suggests that what is happening to Andre, Tamia and the others may be part of something that began long before them.
The world of Back of the Yards is getting bigger.
Read Issue #2 below.
And Now In Development - Issue #3
More than a decade after the first two issues of Back of the Yards, we’re returning to the neighborhood—and to the collaborative spirit that started it all.
Issue #3 builds on the characters, relationships, and mythology established in those earlier stories. But this time, we’re intentionally leaving parts of the story open.
We have a direction, developing storylines, and a Working Manuscript to guide us. But there are still characters to discover, places to create, relationships to explore, and questions left unanswered.
That’s where you come in.
We’re opening the Studio again, inviting a new generation of young creators and collaborators like you to help shape what happens next.
Below is our current Issue #3 Working Manuscript. It’s not the finished story—and that’s the point.
Enter the Workshop
Every neighborhood has places that become part of its story.
The corner store everyone visited after school. A basketball court. A neighborhood restaurant. A front porch. A barbershop. An alley that served as a shortcut home.
These places may never appear in a history book, but for those who grew up around them, they’re unforgettable. They’re the details that make a neighborhood feel real.
As Issue #3 develops, our characters will explore new corners of our fictional Back of the Yards—places that haven’t been created yet.
That’s where you come in.
We’re inviting you to share a memorable place from a neighborhood you know and help inspire a new location in our story.
Our goal is to feature at least three collaborator-inspired locations in Issue #3, with opportunities for more in future issues.
Names and details may change as these places become part of our fictional world, but their inspiration will come from real neighborhoods and real memories.
And if your contribution helps inspire a location featured in the comic, you’ll receive credit for helping bring it to life.
So now think about your neighborhood growing up.
Not the whole neighborhood. Just One place. Maybe everyone knew it. Maybe only a few people did.
Maybe something important happened there. Maybe nothing important ever happened there.
But for some reason, you remember it.
What did it look like? Who was usually there? What happened there?
Why has it stayed with you?
Hold onto that place. Now it is time to put it on our map!
No drawing skills required. Just bring your imagination.
Want to Go Deeper? Open the Issue #3 Dossier and/or Explore the Studio!
You've seen the story. You've entered the Workshop. Now take a look behind the scenes.
The Issue #3 Dossier is our working development file for the next chapter of Back of the Yards.
Inside, you'll find the characters, places, history and mythology behind the story — along with some of the questions we're still exploring as Issue #3 takes shape.
It's part story guide, part development archive, and part invitation.
Because not everything inside these files has been decided.
Some of it is still being built.
Table of Contents
Continue to Explore the World of the Back of the Yards
02 | Issue #3 Collaborations
03 | Issue #3 Collaborations
07 | Issue #3 Collaborations
01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
11 | Issue #3 Collaborations
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04 | Issue #3 Collaborations
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11 | Issue #3 Collaborations
| Brief | The Monahans began as a mock comic book cover commission, but now they're finding a place within the world of Back of the Yards. In Issue #3, readers may catch a glimpse of their comic tucked inside Andre Davis's backpack - a small detail that could open the door to a much larger story. For this collaboration, we're inviting writers, artists, and other creative minds to help imagine that story. Using the Hero's Journey as a creative starting point, we'll explore who the Monahans might be, what adventures await them, and how their fictional world might take shape. Whether through storytelling, original artwork, or simply describing an idea, collaborators can help develop a fictional universe that may someday extend beyond this brief appearance. |
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| When | The Monahans will be introduced through Andre's storyline in Issue #3, with opportunities to develop its fictional history and world through our ongoing Studio collaborations. |
| Who | The characters, personalities, and world of the Monahans are still largely unexplored. That's where participating writers, artists, and other creative collaborators come in. |
| Why | To create a backstory for the Monahans and imagine the places where their adventures might unfold. Artists can contribute original background illustrations, while non-artists can describe settings in words. Selected ideas may help shape the comic's fictional world and potentially inspire future stories. |
Overview Summary
The Monahans began as a standalone mock cover illustration, but now they’re finding a place within the world of Back of the Yards. In Issue #3, readers may catch a glimpse of their comic tucked inside Andre Davis’s backpack — a small detail that could open the door to a much larger story.
For this collaboration, we’re inviting writers, artists, and other creative minds to help imagine that story. Who are the Monahans, and what adventures might they have? What kinds of places and settings might bring their world to life? Whether through storytelling, original artwork, or simply describing an idea, collaborators can help build a fictional universe that may someday extend beyond this brief appearance.
A Quick Introduction
Andre Davis has always had a vivid imagination. Long before discovering his extraordinary abilities, he was already filling his notebooks with sketches of superheroes, characters, and worlds of his own.
So it only seems natural that Andre would also be an avid comic book reader.
In Issue #3 of Back of the Yards, readers may catch a glimpse of The Monahans, a comic book tucked inside Andre’s backpack. It’s a small detail in the larger story, but one that offers an interesting creative opportunity.
After all, every comic book has a story behind it — even one that exists within another comic book.
And in this case, that story is still waiting to be told.
The Story Behind the Mock Comic Cover
Sometimes, a creative idea takes a little time to find its place.
The Monahans began as a commissioned mock comic book cover featuring the real-life Monahan family, illustrated by Made Collaborative artist Eric Nyamor. At the time, the artwork was a standalone creation, without any particular connection to the larger Back of the Yards storyline.
Years later, Made Collaborative founder Jimmy Briseno saw an opportunity to give the illustration a new purpose. Andre Davis, one of the central characters in Back of the Yards, is an imaginative young artist with a love for comic books. It seemed only natural that a few of his favorite comics might find their way into his backpack.
And why not make The Monahans one of them?
The idea was simple: introduce the fictional comic within Issue #3 – perhaps one of Andre’s go to comics – even if readers only catch a passing glimpse of its cover. Then invite collaborators to help imagine the larger story behind it.
It also presented another opportunity: to introduce the Hero’s Journey, one of storytelling’s most familiar frameworks for developing characters and adventures. Rather than starting with a fully developed story, why not invite collaborators to explore how a hero’s journey might unfold from the very beginning?
The Hero's Journey - Every Great Adventure Starts Somewhere
What do Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and countless superhero stories have in common?
At their core, many follow a similar storytelling pattern known as the Hero’s Journey.
Popularized by mythologist Joseph Campbell and later adapted for writers by Christopher Vogler, the Hero’s Journey offers a framework for developing characters and their adventures. A hero begins in a familiar world, encounters a challenge that changes everything, ventures into the unknown, and eventually returns transformed by the experience.
It’s a storytelling structure that has appeared in myths, legends, books, movies, and comics across generations.
And it offers a useful starting point for our next creative challenge: imagining the story behind the Monahans.
The Hero's Journey at a Glance
The diagram above illustrates the 12 stages of the Hero’s Journey, beginning in the familiar Ordinary World, moving into the challenges of the Special World, and ultimately returning home.
Each stage represents a different part of the hero’s adventure. While we’ll explore these stages in greater detail through future Made Collaborative workshops, for now, it’s helpful to understand the journey through three broader phases.
Watch: What Makes a Hero?
Want to see how the Hero’s Journey works in practice?
In this short animated TED-Ed video, Matthew Winkler explores the storytelling framework through familiar characters and adventures, showing how heroes leave their ordinary worlds, face unexpected challenges, and return changed by their experiences.
As you watch, think about how these same storytelling elements might help us imagine the adventures of the Monahans.
The Three Phases of the Hero's Journey
While the Hero’s Journey is often illustrated through 12 individual stages, we can also think about it in three broader phases. Each helps us understand how a character’s story develops from beginning to end.
1. The Ordinary World — Where the Story Begins
Every hero starts somewhere. Before the adventure begins, we get to know the character, their surroundings, and the people and things that matter to them.
Something to consider: Who are the Monahans before their adventure begins? What does their everyday world look like?
2. The Adventure — Into the Unknown
Something happens that disrupts the hero’s ordinary life. They encounter new challenges, meet allies and adversaries, and make decisions that shape their journey.
Something to consider: What event sends the Monahans on an adventure? What challenges might they encounter along the way?
3. The Return — A Changed Hero
Eventually, the hero’s journey comes full circle. Whether they succeed or fail, the experiences they’ve encountered have changed them in some meaningful way.
Something to consider: How might the Monahans be different at the end of their adventure? What have they learned or discovered?
Let's Bring it Back to the Monahans
So, what does the Hero’s Journey have to do with the Monahans? That’s where you come in.
We have a mock comic book cover featuring the Monahans, but their fictional story has yet to be developed. Who are these characters? What kind of world do they inhabit? And what adventures might be waiting for them?
The Hero’s Journey gives us one possible framework for exploring those questions. But it’s not a set of rules. You don’t need to follow all 12 stages or develop an entire story from beginning to end.
Instead, think of it as a creative starting point.
Maybe you have an idea for the Monahans’ origins. Maybe you can imagine an unexpected challenge that sends them on an adventure. Or perhaps you have a particular setting in mind—a mysterious city, a distant planet, or a place that exists only in your imagination.
There are plenty of ways to help bring their world to life.
In the workshop below, we’ll explore two opportunities to collaborate: developing the Monahans’ story and creating the places where their adventures might unfold.
Enter the Workshop -
Help Us Create "The Monahans"!
We’ve got a mock comic book cover. And we’ve explored the Hero’s Journey. Now it’s time to put some of those ideas to work. There’s one thing missing: the story itself.
Who are the Monahans? What makes them interesting? What challenges might they face? And what kind of world do they live in?
That’s what we’re inviting you to help imagine. For this collaboration, we’re offering two creative challenges. You can participate in either one—or both!
Challenge #1 — Create the Story
Help develop the fictional backstory of the Monahans. Use the Hero’s Journey as inspiration, or take the story in an entirely unexpected direction.
Challenge #2 — Build the World
Imagine a place where the Monahans’ adventures might unfold. Create an original illustration, sketch a background, or simply describe the setting in your own words.
There’s no single right answer, and you don’t need to be a professional writer or artist to participate. We’re looking for creative ideas that can help us explore what this comic might become – and with, over time we just may use this “comic” within our own Back of the Yards comic story going forward.
A Made Collaborative Creative Workshop
The Monahans have a comic book cover. Now they need a story—and a world to explore.
That's where you come in!
Use this form to share your ideas, original artwork, or both. You can help imagine the Monahans' adventures, create a setting for their story, or take on both creative challenges.
Ready? Let's see what you come up with!
Why has it stayed with you?
Hold onto that place. Now it is time to put it on our map!
No drawing skills required. Just bring your imagination.
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.
