| Collaboration Summary | Action Card #3 will challenge you to develop your own Hero Journey storylines (based on concepts developed by Joseph Campbell) which you can use for own creative projects. You can also submit your Hero Journey storylines to us if you would like us to help further develop your ideas, and in some instances, include those storylines as part of Back of the Yards comic series. |
|---|---|
| Collaboration Background | At the heart of our project’s collaborative is the creation of Hero's Journey storylines. This all started as part of a supplemental art program in the West Side of Chicago where participating youth would help create the original characters of the Back of the Yards comic series, and with that, independent storylines for those characters, which we then synthesized into one integrated comic storyline. With this collaboration, we are simply trying to extend this same collaborative opportunity to others virtually. |
| This & That | Action Card cover illustrated by Andrew Dimmett. Content developed by Jimmy Briseno, Len Kody and … you? Learn more on how by linking to the QR Code above. |
First we present a few Source and Character Cards that we will be referencing further within each Action Step below.
Feel free to explore these Studio Cards at your leisure. They’re merely here to illuminate your journey through this Action Card.
The Hero’s Journey is a story of transformation.
Whether the transformation is physical or spiritual depends on the terms of the story. Regardless, the Hero must always depart the familiar comforts of the “Ordinary World,” where his or her story begins.
The story is set in motion when the Hero willingly (if reluctantly) Crosses the Threshold into the world of adventure to embark on a road of trials and challenges that will initiate them into a new way of being.
The Call to Adventure sets the story rolling by disrupting the comfort of the Hero’s Ordinary World, presenting a challenge or quest that must be undertaken. The Call throws the Ordinary World off balance, and establishes the stakes involved if the challenge is rejected.
This entire comic project started when one youth boldly proclaimed, “I have an idea, and it’s going to be great!” From there, the young student began to develop the character of Andre Davis, who was eventually developed into one of the central characters of the first three issues of Back of the Yards.
And just like that, Action Card #3 offers you the same creative opportunity to develop your own Hero’s Journey storyline. Perhaps you too will help us chart a course through this multilayered, purely collaborative comic book universe.
Choose your own adventure below. Pick a place to start and begin collaborating. We’ll be there to help you along the way.
Good luck with your collaboration and remember, just have fun with it!
Apart from the main character of Andre Davis, there is perhaps no other character that will be more central to the early storyline of our new comic series than Carl Castaneda! Castaneda was developed by Len Kody as way way of connecting the paths of the youth characters already independently developed as a result of the early in-person classroom collaborations. It would be Castaneda who would host those newly developed youth character as part of an after-school arts program (art imitating life as the case may be).
Within the Character Card page for Carl Castaneda, we do provide glimpses of what we know will be a mysterious past for Carl Castaneda that will be unveiled over time as this new comic series further develops. And it is in that context that we are collaborating with you here to further develop some elements of that mysterious Hero’s Journey for our story’s mentor.
With that, we do urge you to review Castaneda’s Character Card page, and when you are ready, feel free to join us by submitting collaborations below! As with each of these featured collaborations, we will be highlighted selected submissions regularly on our “This & That” blog page, and we will be selecting a few of you for more direct collaborations as we get to final production of Issue #3!
One of the characters we developed early on to help bring the initial youth characters into one integrated storyline, was the character of Big Earl. Earl Perkins, that is. He was developed by Jimmy Briseno, in collaboration, with Len Kody. However, all we really knew at the time was that Big Earl was gentle giant, whose simple everyman vernacular would bely a much deeper wisdom, which would reveal itself over the course of this new comic series.
But what really fascinated Jimmy and Len with respect to Big Earl was the idea of working with youth to further develop the backstory of our everyman, Big Earl. What we knew was that Big Earl was a former athlete who has a complex history, including some potential dealings with the Chicago underworld. He also had a wife who may have passed away long ago. But beyond that, we want to work with you to further develop Big Earl’s history, in short, his Hero’s Journey.
So, with that, we have developed the Google Form below to highlight a few areas Big Earl’s Hero’s Journey for further collaboration! We will highlight selected submissions regularly on the “This & That” page and ultimately, we will incorporate some of your feedback into Big Earl’s storyline, which will also be incorporated in some fashion within Issue #3!
So as we know, every hero needs a villain. And on that score, we want to work with you to begin developing an underground criminal element within our fictional Back of the Yards comic story. This storyline can involve any of the existing characters we have already developed, including Andre Davis, Tamia Parker, the Elders, or even Carl Castaneda. All characters are up for grabs, including any new characters that you may want to introduce!
There are no limits in that regard. All that we ask that you incorporate at least three phases of the Hero’s Journey (as described in Source Card #3), to your submission.
We have provided you with the Google Form below to further assist your collaboration. On this collaboration, you may want to give yourself the benefit of time to work through your Hero’s Journey on pen and paper, letting ideas develop. And once you are ready, you can submit below and we will be selecting a number of submissions over time for further direct collaboration as we develop this new underworld Hero’s Journey storyline together, and begin introducing some elements of that storyline with Issue #3!
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
Collaborate with professional artists by contributing some artwork of your own! Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
