| Brief | For Issue #3 of Back of the Yards, we're taking a closer look at Dex Coleman - one of the neighborhood Elders whose sharp wit and colorful past may conceal more than anyone realizes. Dex has lived through decades of neighborhood history, including his connections to Darius King and Chicago's criminal underworld. As the past begins to intersect with the present, we're inviting collaborators to explore what Dex might recognize, who he might see, and what those encounters could reveal about the larger story unfolding around him. |
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| 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 |
Three wisecracking neighborhood veterans hold court around a pickle barrel outside Kozlow’s General Store: Peaches, Dex, and Big Earl. Known collectively as the Elders, these longtime friends have largely retired from the colorful ventures of their younger days—but they haven’t stopped keeping an eye on the neighborhood.
Like the Fates of ancient mythology, the Elders observe the lives unfolding around them, offering commentary, perspective, and the occasional bit of unsolicited wisdom. Their sharp humor and firsthand knowledge of the neighborhood’s history remind the younger generation that today’s troubles often have roots in yesterday’s stories.
And among the three, few have a more colorful history than Dex Coleman.
Dex Coleman has always had a way with words. Quick with a joke, a clever observation, or a perfectly timed wisecrack, Dex can find humor in just about any situation – even when the circumstances aren’t particularly funny.
But there’s more to his sharp tongue than comic relief. Years spent navigating Chicago’s streets taught Dex how to read people, think on his feet, and occasionally talk his way out of trouble. His humor can be disarming, but beneath it lies the street smarts of someone who’s seen – and survived – quite a bit.
These days, Dex puts those talents to use alongside Peaches and Big Earl, offering the younger generation a mixture of humor, hard-earned wisdom, and the occasional questionable advice.
Long before Dex Coleman became one of the neighborhood Elders, he made his living navigating Chicago’s underground policy racket—an illegal numbers game that once flourished throughout the city’s neighborhoods.
It was a world of hustlers, bookmakers, neighborhood operators, and larger-than-life personalities, where knowing the right people could be just as valuable as knowing the right numbers. Dex learned to survive through quick thinking, street smarts, and an uncanny ability to talk himself out of trouble.
Although those days are largely behind him, Dex’s past hasn’t entirely disappeared. Old acquaintances, unfinished business, and stories he’d rather leave untold still linger beneath his easygoing exterior.
And that raises an interesting question: What kinds of adventures – and misadventures – might Dex have experienced along the way?
Long before state lotteries became commonplace, illegal numbers games—often called the policy racket—were a fixture of Chicago neighborhood life. Players wagered small amounts on combinations of numbers, hoping for a big payout, while an underground network of runners, bookmakers, and operators kept the business moving.
The racket created opportunities for neighborhood hustlers, but it also attracted powerful criminal organizations looking to control its profits. Behind the everyday transactions was a complicated world of alliances, rivalries, shifting loyalties, and occasional violence.
For someone like Dex Coleman, navigating that world required more than luck. It took street smarts, quick thinking, and knowing when to talk—and when to keep quiet.
But what really happened during Dex’s years in the racket? That’s a part of his history we’re leaving open for collaborators to help imagine.
In Chicago’s old policy racket, numbers weren’t always chosen at random. Some players looked to dreams, superstitions, and everyday experiences for clues about which numbers might bring them luck.
Dream books offered interpretations of common images and events, assigning numbers to everything from animals and familiar objects to unusual encounters. For some players, a vivid dream or chance occurrence could become the inspiration for their next wager.
For a neighborhood hustler like Dex Coleman, these beliefs were simply another part of the world he navigated — a world where luck, intuition, and a little imagination could sometimes seem just as important as knowing the right people.
And perhaps Dex had a few unusual experiences of his own. After all, in a world built around numbers and chance, sometimes the strangest stories begin with something that seems completely ordinary.
Dex Coleman is one of the neighborhood Elders in Back of the Yards. Known for his sharp wit and colorful past, Dex has spent decades navigating the complicated relationships between the neighborhood's economic, political, and criminal forces.
Along the way, he's crossed paths with some interesting characters — including the mysterious Darius King. And while Dex may have survived his younger days, the secrets of his past haven't necessarily stayed buried.
As we develop Issue #3, we're inviting you to explore Dex's history, imagine what he might know, and consider what could happen when the past finally catches up with him.
Join this free Made Collaborative Workshop and help us uncover the possibilities. No writing or artistic experience required — just your imagination!
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book. iPad/iPhone users, submit images from FILES (NOT from Photo Library).
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
