Welcome to The Made Collaborative Virtual Studio!

Introducing Made Collaborative Studio!

What

Made Collaborative is an immersive virtual studio experience. Our virtual Studio Cards are designed to facilitate collaboration with you by providing you with context on topics, concepts, characters and some of the people behind or Creative Commons comic project called the Back of the Yards.

Why

The Made Collaborative Studio was developed by Jimmy Briseno and Len Kody. Len and Jimmy began developing this virtual platform in 2020 when COVID emerged as a way of extending their original in-person classroom comic collaborations in the west side of Chicago to the virtual realm.

Who

In addition to Len and Jimmy, other project collaborators include John Golden, Eric Nyamor, Dan Dougherty and Manny Dominguez.

Welcome to the Made Collaborative
Virtual Studio Platform!

Welcome to the Made Collaborative Studio – a living creative workshop where artists, students, educators, and comic fans collaborate to develop the next issue of Back of the Yards.

Each week, we spotlight one featured Studio Card, explore it during our podcast, and invite the community to help shape what happens next. Some ideas remain thought experiments. Others become part of the evolving comic itself.

If you’ve ever wanted to help create a comic – not just read one – you’ve come to the right place.

This Week's Featured Collaboration

Every week our Studio Directors select one character, location, or story concept for deeper exploration. This week we’re turning our attention to Nick Zomski, a veteran Chicago police officer whose story continues to evolve through community collaboration.

While previous workshops have helped establish key aspects of Nick’s character, many of the relationships and experiences that shaped his life remain unexplored.

Our discussion this week focuses on three areas. First, we’ll take a closer look at Nick’s family life. What kind of husband is he? Does he have children? How have the demands of a career in law enforcement influenced the people closest to him?

We’ll also revisit an important partnership from Nick’s early years on the police force – one that ultimately ended in betrayal under circumstances that have yet to be fully understood. Finally, we’ll explore the defining moments from Nick’s past that continue to shape the decisions he makes today.

Who is…
Nick Zomski?

Studio Card #[__]:

Summary Profile

Nick Zomski is a veteran Chicago police officer whose quiet reputation for fairness masks a long-buried connection to a deeply ambiguous period of violence, disappearances, and hidden corruption within the fictional Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Core Personality Traits & Values

Quiet, observant, and deeply pragmatic, Zomski values fairness, survival, loyalty, and maintaining order within systems he no longer fully trusts.

Archetype

TBD - [Tony to Determine]

Motto

TBD - [Tony to Develop]

Collaboration Background

Nick Zomski was developed by Tony Maldonado in collaboration with Eric Nyamor, Len Kody, and Jimmy Briseno as part of the Issue #3 pre-production workshops during the summer of 2026.

Debut

Issue #3 of the Back of the Yards comic series

Enter the Workshop!

Every story begins with a conversation. Step inside this week’s collaborative workshop to explore the featured Studio Card, listen to the discussion, and contribute your own ideas as we continue building the world of Back of the Yards together.

Let's Collaborate

Each week, our Studio Directors explore a featured character, location, or story concept during the collaborative workshop and podcast shared above. Throughout those discussions, we identify creative opportunities and unanswered questions where your ideas can help shape the ongoing development of the Back of the Yards universe.

To participate, simply click the button below to access this week's collaboration challenges.

This week, we're continuing to develop the world surrounding Nick Zomski by exploring two important pieces of his story. First, we're looking to further flesh out the former police partner whose relationship with Nick played a pivotal role in his early career. Second, we're bringing Darius King with a fun challenge. Your ideas will help us deepen both characters and the larger story they inhabit.

Featured Studio Cards

Looking for more ways to collaborate? Explore our complete collection of Studio Cards below, where you’ll find additional characters, locations, story concepts, and creative challenges from across the Back of the Yards universe.

Introducing a New Hero’s Journey
Back of the Yards!

Studio Card #3 | Our New Comic Series!

Summary

With this Studio Card production, we introduce you to the Back of the Yards!, a Creative Commons comic project produced by the Made Collaborative Studio. Back of the Yards is a story about young man in the West Side of Chicago that has what he believes to be a supernatural encounter and his subsequent journey to understand what is real and what isn't within his neighborhood.

When

We will examine past, present and future states of these neighborhoods in attempt to gain a better understanding of how these neighborhoods originally developed and evolved through the years.developed in collaboration with participating youth from the West Side of Chicago.

Who

As part of this collaborative series, we will also examine the residents of these neighborhoods, including early immigrants to present day inhabitants, and their corresponding influence and impact to our urban communities.

Why

In order to more fully understand some of the complexities of our urban centers, we must understand their neighborhoods, including the evolution of those neighborhoods and their residents. And, of course, we plan to incorporate some of these related themes into our ongoing comic series, Back of the Yards, with your collaborations.

All Stories Start With

A Great Character!

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.

And Every Great Character Has
A Hero’s Journey

Studio Card #2 | Creating Your Own Hero’s Journey!

Brief

In the previous Studio Card, you took your first creative steps—bringing a character to life and exploring what makes them unique. Now, it’s time for their journey to begin. Every hero, from the first stories ever told to today, follows a path filled with trials, transformation, and discovery. Welcome to the Hero’s Journey!

Scope

The first five stages of the Hero’s Journey form a Call to Action. We meet your hero, step into their world, and watch as a challenge disrupts the balance. Will they answer the call? Will they step onto the rocky road of adventure? Or will they cling to blissful ignorance?

This & That

The Made Collaborative has developed a storytelling template rooted in ancient methods intrinsic to human nature. We invite you to engage in the same process that urban youth and our cadre of professional collaborators have used to shape Back of the Yards. Join us in building a richer, deeper world—on the comics page and beyond. And who knows? Your story could become part of it.

Who is…
Andre Davis?

Studio Card #4: Our New Comic Hero

Brief

Andre Davis 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. Andre is a young African American high school youth who suddenly obtains god-like superpowers through an encounter he has in an alley within his Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Core Personality Traits & Values

Andre is bright, inquisitive and self-reliant, always searching for the truth and a greater understanding of himself and others … but he may also be susceptible to the trappings of his newfound power …

Archetype

The Hero

Motto

“To dare is to do.”

Collaboration Background

Andre’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

Who is…
Russell Patterson?

Studio Card #6: Our Young Dreamer

Brief

Russell Patterson 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. 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

Who is…
Carl Castaneda?

Studio Card #7: The Mysterious Mentor

Brief

Carl Castaneda 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. Mr. Castañeda is a mysterious teacher and mentor who guides our main characters on their road to realization. Glimpses at his own foggy past reveal that he embarked on a similar journey long ago.

Core Personality Traits & Values

He clearly knows more than what he is saying, but the best teachers do not give they answers but merely point the way.

Primary Archetype

The Mentor

Motto

“Your dreams are part of the same primal energy that brings all existence into being!”

Collaboration Background

Mr. Castañeda is a character developed by Len Kody. He is a way of tying the various narratives and characters created by the first wave of participating youth as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago.

Debut

Issue #2 of the Back of the Yards comic series

Neighborhoods
& Their Residents!

Studio Card #8: Neighborhoods & Their Residents

What

With this Source Card collaborative production, we examine the unique characteristics of our urban neighborhoods, including their unique histories, events and residents.

When

We will examine past, present and future states of these neighborhoods in attempt to gain a better understanding of how these neighborhoods originally developed and evolved through the years.

Who

Why

Law Enforcement &
The Community

Source Card #9: Crossing the Threshold Every Day

What

This collaborative series is a peek into the issues facing law enforcement and community relations within our urban communities.

When

We will begin Part I of this collaborative series with a snapshot of the early origins of modern day policing, setting the stage for a deeper dive into the present day issues in Part II of this series.

Who

This Source Card overview begins with a look at a man named Robert Peel who may not be a household name to many of us, but as it turns out, in many ways he may well be the founding father of today’s modern day police force as we know it.

Why

To facilitate a collaborative process that promotes just a little more understanding from all sides on a complicated set of issues facing our country’s urban centers. And along the way, with your help and input, incorporate some of these themes and issues into our Back of the Yards comic series.

Who is…
Peaches?

Studio Card #10: The Street Corner Mentor

Summary

Peaches 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. For now, known only by his nickname, “Peaches,” he is one of the neighborhood’s “Elders” who observe and comment upon the activities of the younger folks. Peaches backstory is rich, deep and yet-to-be revealed!

Core Personality Traits & Values

Peaches is the dignified moral compass the Elders. Even though he is very much a realist, Peaches tends to see the best in people and he encourages them toward a righteous path.

Primary Archetype

The Mentor

Motto

“Though our destiny is now our own, our search for that destiny has only just begun.”

Collaboration Background

Peaches 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…
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…
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…
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

The Monahans!
Andre’s Favorite Comic!

The Monahans!

Summary

TBD

When

TBD

Who

TBD

Why

TBD

Who is…
Cerria Cortez?