Studio Card #5: The Hero’s Journey (Part II) – Initiation
| Brief | In the first part of the Hero’s Journey, the hero answered the call and stepped into the unknown. Now comes the real test. This stage—Initiation—is where the hero is challenged, pushed, and transformed. |
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| Scope | The middle of the journey is where things get messy. The hero faces trials, enemies, and obstacles that test their strength and resolve. But they also find allies—unexpected friendships that help them push forward. Every challenge brings them closer to who they need to become, preparing them for the greatest test still to come. |
| This & That | The Made Collaborative has developed a storytelling framework rooted in timeless methods. Through this process, urban youth and professional collaborators alike have shaped Back of the Yards. Now, it’s your turn. Dive into the journey, add your voice, and your work could even be featured in a future issue of the comic |
6. Tests, Allies & Enemies
The hero steps deeper into the special world, facing trials that test their strength and reveal who they can trust. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry adjusts to life at Hogwarts, forming bonds with Ron and Hermione while clashing with Draco Malfoy.
In Back of the Yards, Andre’s initiation comes when he discovers his true power—but that revelation also brings danger. When a gang of bullies attack his friends, he’s forced into a fight that proves just how much the world around him has changed.
At this stage of the journey, your hero isn’t just reacting to the world—they’re being shaped by it. Every challenge, every ally, and every enemy serves a purpose. The trials they face push them to grow, revealing their strengths and weaknesses. The friends they make aren’t just companions; they reflect different aspects of the hero’s journey. The enemies they encounter force them to confront what stands in their way.
As a storyteller, think about how this stage unfolds in your own work.
What obstacles force your hero to change? Who stands beside them, and who stands against them?
Every moment in this stage should propel them forward, preparing them for the ultimate test still to come.
7: Approach the Inner Cave
The hero pushes deeper into the heart of the story, drawing closer to the ultimate goal. This “innermost cave” is often where the treasure, truth, or power they seek is hidden. Sometimes it’s a physical object, other times a symbolic revelation—but either way, it won’t be easy to claim.
In Star Wars, the innermost cave takes the form of the Death Star—a fortress at the center of the conflict. Luke and his companions must infiltrate it, risking everything to rescue Leia and take the next step in their journey.
The hero’s journey isn’t just about where they go—it’s about what they’re truly after. This is where they face the heart of their quest. The “innermost cave” holds the treasure, truth, or transformation they seek—but getting there is never easy.
Is it a lost artifact or something deeper, like self-acceptance? In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam reach Mount Doom, but the real test is the moment of decision.
What is your hero truly after? And what will it cost them?
8. The Ordeal
The hero faces their greatest test yet—a moment of life or death, victory or ruin. This is where everything is on the line. Through this struggle, they undergo a transformation, experiencing a kind of death and rebirth, whether literal or symbolic.
In The Lion King, Simba’s ordeal isn’t just about defeating Scar—it’s about confronting the guilt that’s haunted him since Mufasa’s death. Only by facing his past can he reclaim his place as king and restore Pride Rock.
Every story needs a moment where the hero is pushed to the edge—where victory seems impossible, and failure feels inevitable. This is The Ordeal, the moment that tests everything they’ve learned, everything they believe in, and everything they are willing to sacrifice.
For your story, this should be a turning point, not just a tough moment. This isn’t just another challenge—it’s the challenge. Whether it’s a brutal fight, a crushing betrayal, or a complete loss of control, the hero should walk away from this moment forever changed—or not walk away at all.
9. The Reward
Surviving The Ordeal changes a hero. Whether they’ve faced death, loss, or their own weaknesses, they emerge transformed—and with that transformation comes a reward. This could be the object of their quest, newfound wisdom, or a deeper sense of purpose.
Often, this is also a moment of connection—a love scene, a reconciliation, or an unexpected moment of peace before the next challenge.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry overcomes every obstacle guarding the Philosopher’s Stone, only to discover that it has appeared in his pocket—proof that he was always meant to claim it.
Let’ s Collaborate!
It's time to claim the reward!
Your hero has been tested, pushed to the edge, and emerged transformed. They’ve faced trials, forged alliances, and survived the Ordeal—now, they’ve earned their reward. But what does that truly mean?
This isn’t just about winning—it’s about change. What has your hero gained? A physical prize? A new understanding? A moment of love, peace, or reconciliation?
Now, bring it all together. Show us how your hero claims their reward—and what it means for the road ahead.
Draw the Journey
llustrate a pivotal moment from the middle stages of the Hero’s Journey—the trials, allies, and enemies that shape the hero’s transformation.
It could be:
• A single image capturing a key trial, a powerful ally, or a dangerous foe.
• A comics page showing the hero navigating the Ordeal or approaching the Innermost Cave.
Show us the struggle that defines your hero.
Strong submissions may be featured in Back of the Yards!
Table of Contents
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Studio Card #6: The Hero’s Journey (Part III) – The Return
| Brief | This Studio Card production was developed by the Made Collaborative Studio as part of its comic series the Back of the Yards. With this Studio Card, we present you with a summary of the Hero's Journey, which is a framework that helped many to develop their own creative projects through the centuries and with that, it is our hope this summary may help participating youth with their own creative projects. |
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| When | The Made Collaborative Studio began as a modest grass roots project started by a ragtag group of participating artists in Chicago and was designed to provide a unique collaborative opportunity for after school programs and participating youth from our urban communities. |
| Who | This Made Collaborative Studio project technically started over 10 years ago as only a kernel of an idea in the mind of the project’s founder on one of his many bus rides home and through much trial and error over the years, evolved into the Made Collaborative Studio virtual model that exists today. |
| Why | The Made Collaborative Studio was created to help promote creative thought and provide a unique (and free) collaborative experience for afterschool programs and participating youth alike. |
Phase #10: The Road Back
The hero returns to the ordinary world or continues onward to an ultimate destination, but their trials aren’t over just yet. They are often pursued by a vengeful force that they must face.In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is where Gollum confronts Frodo at the ledge of the volcano and tries to take the Ring back from him.
Phase #11: The Resurrection
The hero emerges from the special world fundamentally changed by their experiences.
In The Lion King, Simba learns the truth that it was Scar who orchestrated Mufasa’s death. Simba throws Scar off Pride Rock in order to reclaim his place as king.
Phase 12: The Return to Elixer
The hero brings with them the object of their quest, which they use to better the ordinary world in some way–whether it’s through knowledge, a cure, or some form of protection.
In The Matrix, armed with the knowledge of the truth, Neo delivers a message to the Matrix that he will save humanity.
Let’ s Collaborate!
Text
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
Studio Card #10: The Street Corner Mentor
Who is Jimmy Briseno?
Studio Card #11: Our Gentle Giant Everyman
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Studio Card #12: We All Have That One Trickster In Our Life
Studio Card #3 – Creating a Character (Part II)
Studio Card #1 | Let’s Create a Character(s)!
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Studio Card #5: The Back of the Yards Heroine!
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). |
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| 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. |
Every Great Story
Begins With a Great Character
Welcome to the Made Collaborative Studio! And we begin in the same manner this project began years ago in a classroom in the West Side of Chicago – creating original characters.
Got a great idea for a comic book character? We invite all of you to submit here it to the Made Collaborative Studio and the most eye-catching ideas may be chosen for further development with our team of creative professionals. Some of your crazy characters may even appear in future issues of the Back of the Yards comic!
We will walk you through this process below, but first, for a little creative inspiration to help set the collaborative stage, we present to you five memorable character introductions from the big screen! …
First, Grab a Pen & Paper
As with all collaborations, we start by urging you to first get an old-fashioned pen (or pencil) and paper in hand. It is with this type of brainstorming that often you will encounter your creative breakthroughs and even more practically, taking notes will help you to organize and summarize your thoughts.
We have also created this PDF Worksheet [INSERT PDF LINK] for your convenience if helpful.
STEP ONE
Creating Your Character's Basic
Background & Physical Traits
We begin this modest virtual collaboration platform in the same manner this project began years ago in a classroom in the West Side of Chicago – creating original characters. The Made Collaborative project started as a small but ambitious after-school arts program headed by our founder, Jimmy Briseno, with a group of high school students on the West Side of Chicago. Jimmy frequently recalls the pivotal moment when one young person boldly proclaimed: “I have an idea, and it’s going to be great!”
From there, the intrepid student began to develop the character of Andre Davis. His classmates joined in, creating characters of their own, like Tamia Parker and Russell Patterson. These ever-so-humble beginnings are what helped launch the Made Collaborative Studio and our inaugural comic book series–Back of the Yards.
With this Studio Card collaboration, we will help you with the creative development of your own character(s). And we will be using our comic’s first character, Andre Davis, as a frame of reference with each step below. We begin this character development exercise with the basics, or more specifically, your character’s basic characteristics. Within Slide 3, you see that we cover some of those basics for Andre’s character, which may help you as you brainstorm the physical traits of your own new character.
PHYSICAL TRAITS TO CONSIDER
Here are some character physical traits that can enhance storytelling. For example, hair color and style can help distinguish your character. Eye shape and eye color is another example (as the old saying goes, eyes can be a window to the soul). Facial features like high cheekbones, firm jawlines, nose shape or size, skin town, etc. And, of course, body type can capture your character’s build and indicate physical strengths or weaknesses.
These are just a few physical traits for you to consider as you develop your character. And for your convenience, we’ve included a few more in the table below as well a helpful link here for other physical traits you may consider when developing your character at this stage!
BASIC BACKGROUND ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER
And to further help with your character’s basic background description, here’s a quick list of elements to consider age, birthdate, gender, birthplace, race/nationality, marital status, education, current residence and occupation and languages among other basic background elements to consider before we start taking a deeper character dive below.
It may help you to think of this first step (combining personality traits and basic background elements) as if you were making an introduction to your character in a movie screenplay. Within screenplays, a basic character description is the literal introduction of a character, which then translates into the visual introduction in a movie. As such, a good concise description of some of the very basic characteristics within the screenplay is essential.
As an example, look at the following character introduction from the script of the movie Training Day, starring Denzel Washington.
“DETECTIVE SERGEANT ALONZO HARRIS, IN BLACK SHIRT, BLACK LEATHER JACKET. AND JUST ENOUGH PLATINUM AND DIAMONDS TO LOOK LIKE SOMEBODY. HE READS THE PAPER IN A BOOTH. THE GUN-LEATHER-TOUGH L.A.P.D. VET IS A HANDS-ON, BLUE-COLLAR COP WHO CAN KICK YOUR ASS WITH A LOOK."
Within this character introduction, you can get a feel for the physical appearance of Alonzo Harris, as well as some basic insights into his background and current occupation (gun-leather-tough LAPD vet, blue-collar cop).
Now, see how that short basic description translates to the big screen by clicking below!
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Pen To Paper!
Prompt #1
What are some of the physical characteristics of your new character? Feel free to use some of the examples from the table or link provided above. And you can also refer to Slide 3 of Andre’s Character Dossier if helpful.
Prompt #2
What are some of your character’s basic background elements? Occupation? Age? Birthplace? Family members? Any other basic information that you can think of that may be helpful to describe your character in one or two sentences? And feel free to also us Slide 3 of Andre’s Character Dossier if helpful.
Prompt #3
Now let’s bring it all together and using the Training Day example above along some of the physical characteristics and basic background elements you listed above, try to describe your character in two to three sentences as if you were first introducing that character in a screenplay.
STEP TWO
Developing Your Character's Personality Traits
Now that you have a basic idea of what your character may look like and its basic characteristics as described above, you may now be in a better position to develop your new character’s personality characteristics. And perhaps no other character in cinema today has as complicated of a personality than the comic villain that goes by the name of The Joker …
How would you describe the Joker’s personality? What words come to mind? Impulsive? Disagreeable? Humorous? Creative? Daring? Unpredictable? Would any of the traits listed below apply to the Joker’s personality?
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In stark contrast to The Joker's fictional comic personality, we have chosen to feature the real-life legacy of one of the most iconic artists of our time, Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her deeply personal and symbolic self-portraits that explored identity, pain, and the female experience. Her work blended elements of Mexican folk art with surrealist influences, often reflecting her physical suffering and tumultuous relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera. Despite lifelong health challenges, she became an icon of resilience, feminism, and Mexican cultural pride.
If you watched the short video above, how would you describe Frida’s personality from the traits listed above? Creative? Daring? Inventive? Thoughtful?
These are just some personality traits that may come to mind when describing Frida, and as you can see, apart from perhaps a shared creativity and daringness in their approach to life, Frida is otherwise quite the contrast in personality to Joker’s fictional character.
And this contrast in personality traits between the fictional character of the Joker and the real-life legacy of Frida Kahlo could also be captured by something even more fundamental to each of their characters – something referred to as their respective “Character Archetypes,” which will turn our attention to in Step Three below. But first! …
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Pen To Paper!
Prompt #4
What five personality traits do you think best describes the Joker’s personality if you were describing his character to a friend or family member who knew nothing about the Joker? You can use Slide #4 of Andre’s Character Dossier if helpful.
Prompt #5
What five personality traits do you think best describes Frida’s personality if you were describing her to a friend or family member who knew nothing about her or her legacy? Again, you can use Slide #4 of Andre’s Character Dossier if helpful.
Prompt #6
Now using Slide 4 of Andre’s character dossier as example, let’s bring it together and write down five or more personality traits that you would use to describe your new character to a friend or family member.
STEP THREE
Character Archetypes and Core Personality Traits
Building upon some of your character’s basic background and physical characteristics developed in Step One, along with their personality traits as described in Part Two, we are now ready to start taking a deeper dive into your character’s core set of values. And that deeper dive begins with your character’s primary Archetype.
Returning briefly to the Joker and Frida Kahlo personalities from Step Two above, in addition to highlighting these two very different personalities, we also can see a contrast of two very different life paths. The fictional character of Joker dedicated to mayhem and chaos in response to his early life adversity. Frida Kahlo, on the other hand, who experienced very serious near-fatal medical injuries as a youth, somehow heroically channelling that adversity towards creative expression, art and a unique celebration of life.
To help better understand these two divergent life paths, we present you with an overview of Character Archetypes.
Our quick overview of character archetypes begins with an individual named Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist who is recognized as one of the most influential figures in modern psychology.
Among his many intellectual pursuits, Jung explored the hidden and mysterious aspects of the mind and as part of that exploration, he theorized that some dreams may actually hold intriguing insights into life and the world because they come from the “collective unconscious.”
Jung believed the collective unconscious is bigger and more fundamental than the mind of any single individual; it is the profound and timeless wisdom that all humans share. And it is from this collective unconscious that certain distinct and common character archetypes also emerge.
Just click below to learn more about these Character Archetypes, including which Archetypes might describe The Joker, Frida Kahlo and other well known characters and other historical figures!
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As you consider Character Archetypes, a closely related set of traits are your character’s “core values.” Core values are fundamental beliefs and principles that guide a person’s actions and decisions. In short, core values can be described as a character’s personal compass as they navigate through life.
We have provided a sample list of such core value traits below. It is your Character’s Archetype combined with their core values that will ultimately drive your character’s actions in any given story.
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Pen To Paper!
Prompt #7
Which of the selected character archetypes below do you feel that you most personally identify with? Feel free to select more than one if you’re so inclined. Both people and fictional characters go through various phases of personal development that can include elements of 2, 3 or more archetypes throughout the course of their lives.
Prompt #8
Andre Davis is “The Hero” of the first several 3 issues of Back of the Yards, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way!
But heroes can change. They may grow to become the mentor in another hero’s story. They may be tempted by the dark side of some of their other character traits and become an outlaw rebel, or a tyrannical ruler.
Based on what you know from Andre’s character, either from the dossier summary above, or from the comic itself, which way do you think Andre’s character might develop in future issues of Back of the Yards? Be creative on this one. There’s no wrong answer!
Prompt #9
In the spirit of the Creator archetype, here’s an opportunity to jot down some ideas for a character of your own based on any of the 12 archetypes above. Just give it a try. You don’t have to go into too much detail on this one. Just see where the spark of inspiration takes you. But save your idea for later. The Made Collaborative Studio’s Action Cards will provide more in-depth opportunities to develop your ideas further.
STEP FOUR
A Lightening Round - Your Character's
Biography and Other Interesting Facts!
So now that you have all the basic building blocks of your character in place, including their basic characteristics, core personality traits and archetype core values, we are ready for a lightening round of sorts! It is here that we will begin to sprinkle in some of the details of your character’s back story and other interesting facts that make your new character unique! And to help you do this, we will present to you 100 quick and easy questions for you to consider within the Google Slide presentation below.
And for a little creative inspiration, we bring you a few words from Stan Lee, creator of Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Black Panther and many more from the Marvel universe.
(Original art to the right by participating artist, Eric Nyamor.)
Of course, you don’t have to answer all these questions for your character – in fact, you don’t have to answer ANY! But we do encourage you to just have fun with it and try to answer at least 10 or so. Even if you don’t have a clear idea of your character’s back story just yet, some of your answers to these questions may nonetheless help you with the next stage of your character’s development if you so choose – developing their Hero’s Journey storyline with Studio Card #2!
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Pen To Paper!
Prompt #10 - BONUS ROUND!
In many ways, this final round is optional and intended to just be creative icing on your character development cake. From the questions provided within the google slide presentation pick as many questions as you’d like to answer to help further define your character’s biographical history. And you can use Slide #6 of Andre’s character dossier as an example if helpful.
STEP FIVE
Let's Collaborate!
With this collaboration, you will have an opportunity to develop your own original comic character.
Especially creative submissions could be chosen for further development with the Made Collaborative team. We'll feature your character on our website. They might appear in the Back of the Yards comics!
We'll also invite some collaborators to take part in our livestream sessions over Zoom.
Submit Your Artwork
Although by no means, required, but to the extent you have developed any concept sketches or illustrations of your new character, we encourage you to submit those illustrations to us. Just do us a favor and let us know which character you are submitting illustrations for, and we will absolutely make sure our artists receive them when they are reviewing your character submissions!
And we may feature your artwork in the future either on the project website or directly in our comic issues, all subject to your approval!
Table of Contents
More Studio Card Collaborations!
Studio Card #[__]:
Studio Card #6: Our Young Dreamer
Studio Card#17: Who is Draymond Carter?
Studio Card #5: The Back of the Yards Heroine!
Who is Len Kody?
Studio Card #10: The Street Corner Mentor
Who is Jimmy Briseno?
Who is Eric Nyamor?
Studio Card #4: Our New Comic Hero
Who is Dan Dougherty?
Studio Card #3 – Creating a Character (Part II)
| What | This Studio Card production is part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project produced by Made Collaborative Studio, and features Carl Jung’s Archetypes of the Unconscious Mind. This Studio Card sets forth the 12 primary character archetypes which we hope help participating youth with their own creative projects and ideas. |
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| When | These 12 character archetypes can be used by participating youth for their own independent collaborations, just as they have been used by others throughout the course of time, from the ancient Greek plays to modern day Star Wars trilogies. |
| Who | These character archetypes are important to understand because unlike character stereotypes, which are superficial generic generalizations, archetypes are said to have been deduced through the development of storytelling over tens of thousands of years, indicating repeating patterns of individual and group experience. |
| Why | Character Archetypes can help one gain a better understanding and development of literary characters and stories for not only our Made Collaborative comic publications, but also independent collaborations of any participating youth and others. |
Digging Deeper -
The Evolution of a Character's Development
With this Studio Card collaboration, we pick up where we left we off from Studio Card #2 (Create A Character Part I – Developing Basic Traits) and take a deeper dive into your character’s inner core. What drives your character? What are your character’s core beliefs? And what from their back story helped to shape those beliefs?
To help set the stage for this collaboration, we present you with a quick overview on the evolution of one of Marvel’s most popular comic characters, the Black Panther.
An Introduction to Character Archetypes
The Black Panther, of course, would evolve from his early comic origins in the year 1966 to his premiere on the movie big screen in 2018. But it all started with that foundation that was set by co-creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
And it is that very foundation that we are trying to help you develop for your own character. One primary tool that is helpful for this character development can be found with Carl Jung’s character archetypes. In short Carl Jung developed these archetypes as a way of capturing the essence of a person, i.e., that person’s character.
For example, the Black Panther can be described with a few of Carl Jung’s archetypes. He was a Hero archetype for all of his bravery and commitment to his cause and the people he represented and supported. He was also a Ruler at times, given his leadership roles. And he was a Mentor to others given his intelligence and integrity.
It is from that foundation that the Black Panther’s character was able to evolve over 5 decades. And to help you gain more understanding of these Character Archetypes and set the foundation for your own character development, we have provided a short Google Slide overview that goes into a little more depth of each of the primary character archetypes that we will refer to as part of our ongoing collaborations with you. [NOTE – CONSIDER TRANSFERRING THIS OVERVIEW FROM GOOGLE SLIDE TO ISSUU FLIPBOOK.]
Developing Your Character's Archetype, Core Values and Back Story
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Revisiting Our Own Humble Beginnings and Original Characters
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Let’ s Collaborate!
Table of Contents
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Studio Card #1 | Let’s Create a Character(s)!
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Studio Card #3 – Creating a Character (Part II)
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Studio Card #6: The Hero’s Journey (Part III) – The Return