This is my Master’s final project which took a year of preparation and execution. The comic was submitted alongside my dissertation - “Using Comics to Investigate the Connections Between Western Comics and Japanese Manga.” ​ 

When I first started the course, I wanted to investigate the properties of graphic narratives, focusing on Western comics and Japanese Manga. I wanted to highlight the medium's potential in the broad field of art and design and showcase my research in the form of a comic, in order to do so, I did extensive research on their history and contexts, as well as practical elements and the current graphic narratives industry. ​ 

Synopsis: When Arlen, the crow, was tasked to offer a form of entertainment to The Lady, he suggested comic books. With curiosity, The Lady asked him why comics are interesting and what values they can bring. With such questions, Arlen decided to embark on an adventure to different comics universes, from the superhero dimension to the floating world universe of Japanese woodcut prints. The recordings of his journey and the things he learnt along the way will be pieced together to create the ultimate form of entertainment for The Lady.

The colour scheme of the front and back cover is inspired by real-life sunsets to reflect the story's heavenly aerial setting. I included different motifs and conventions from American comics and Japanese manga, such as the use of sound effects and different types of lines to create an element of dynamism. The design for the back cover is kept relatively clean with text's readability as the main priority.

The decision to keep this first chapter monochrome is inspired by manga from Japan, doing so highlights the contrast between The Lady and Arlen, as well as making Arlen stand out as he is the only character that is in solid black. In the future, as the story develops, colours can be used specifically to highlight particular traits in different comic universes.

After writing the script, I proceeded with the storyboarding stage. I drew several compositions for each page according to the text and selected 20 designs after reviewing all the compositional studies I drew.