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.
We begin the development of Issue #3 of our Back of the Yards comic series with one of our three neighborhood elder characters – Dex Coleman. And, more specifically, with someone Dex doesn’t recognize in the first scene of this new comic issue.
We won’t tell you too much about this new character yet. Partly because his identity will become important to the story ahead. But also because, candidly, parts of him are still being developed. And that is where we’re starting this week.
Working with young artists and collaborators like you, we will be developing the appearance, presence and personality of the mysterious figure Dex encounters at the beginning of Issue #3.
What we know is that this person matters. We also know his arrival connects to something larger. And we know more about where his story may eventually lead than we’re ready to reveal.
But there are still things we haven’t decided.
And with this week’s workshop podcast, we’ll talk about what the story requires from this character, what we’ve deliberately left open, and how our young collaborators are beginning to shape the person who will eventually appear on the page.
As currently contemplated within the Issue 3 Working Manuscript (which you can access, along with Issues 1, 2 and an Issue 3 Dossier – by flipping the Back of the Yards Studio Card to your right), Issue #3 begins with Dex Coleman noticing someone new. We know this person matters.
We also know his arrival will connect Dex – and the story we’re beginning to tell – to something that reaches much further into the past.
But we haven’t figured out everything about him yet. What does he look like? How does he carry himself? What does Dex notice first? What makes his presence feel significant?
Those are some of the questions we’re still exploring. And they’re some of the questions we’re inviting you to help us answer.
More than thirty years ago, Dex knew another man from Back of the Yards. His name was Darius King. And back in his day, he was known as “The Broker.”
And then in 1994, something happened. King disappeared without a trace. A young police officer named Nick Zomski (who we will first see in Issue #3 as an older much more seasoned officer) became involved in the investigation. And the story surrounding King never completely went away.
Now, as we begin developing the person Dex encounters in Issue #3, we’re looking back at a few case files involving King and some of his known acquantainces. And before you enter the Workshop, we invite you to do the same. One thing to keep in mind, we’re not asking you to recreate Darius King. And we’re not telling you exactly how the person Dex sees might connect to him.
Instead, as you explore King’s file, think about what made him distinctive.
His appearance. His personality. His presence. The way he understood people. The way he moved through the neighborhood.
Then ask yourself:
What, if anything, might echo forward more than thirty years later?
You can head directly into the Workshop below and start sharing your ideas. But if you’d like a little more guidance, we’ve adapted one of our original Studio Cards specifically for this collaboration.
Our Create a Character Studio Card to your right walks through the creative process step by step – using examples, videos and prompts to help you think about this young man’s appearance, personality, motivations, history and more.
Working with a classroom, after-school program or youth group? The card can also be used as a more guided creative exercise before entering the Workshop. Given the roots of this project in youth workshops and after-school programs, creating a virtual framework that could bring that same collaborative process to new groups was important to us.
Either way, we’re working toward the same question: Who does Dex see?
You've seen what we know.
Dex encounters someone he doesn't recognize.
You've also been introduced to Darius King - a man Dex knew more than thirty years ago, before King disappeared in 1994.
We know these stories are connected. But we haven't decided exactly how.
That's where you come in.
We're developing the person Dex sees at the beginning of Issue #3 - and we'd like you to help us figure out who he might become.
ENTER THE WORKSHOP →
No drawing skills required. Just bring your imagination.
The featured Studio Cards below follow the path we’ll be taking as we build Issue #3 together. Over the coming weeks, we’ll feature these cards roughly in the order shown through our own weekly workshop podcasts – using each one to explore another character, question or part of the developing story with invited guest collaborators. You don’t have to wait, though. Explore the cards now (simply by flipping any card to its reverse side), jump ahead, and participate wherever the Studio is already open.
Introducing a New Hero’s Journey
Back of the Yards!
Who is…
Andre Davis?
Who is…
Tamia Parker?
All Stories Start With
A Great Character!
Who is…
Cerria Cortez?
Who is…
Nick Zomski?
Who is…
Carl Castaneda?
All Stories Start With
A Great Character!
Who is…
Andre Davis?
Who is…
Dex?
The Monahans!
Andre’s Favorite Comic!
Who is…
Tamia Parker?
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
