The contents to this comic is inspired by the story my great-grandmother told my mother, who told me. About how our family on her mother’s side survived the retreat of the Nationalists from China after they were defeated by the Communists in the civil war. I thought it was a wonderfully poetic story with great visuals that would just be goose-bump-level epic if drawn out.
It would also be unique material for a competition regarding a scholarship at the Interlochen Academy of the Arts. Although it is sure as hell I’m not getting it, it doesn’t hurt to try.
The formatting of the comic is from an illustrated book, The Arrival, by Shaun Tan. The idea of no dialogue nor words is from that book, along with some of the paneling of the illustrations.
Originally, I was going to add text to the comic because I didn’t know if it would turn out as powerful or dramatic as The Arrival, but I decided against it when I saw how–surprisingly–well it turned out without the text. (What I was originally going to say is down below):
To my great-grandmother and her vigilance and determination, without whom, I would not be here today.
“The ship ride was the last leg in our long retreat from the communists.”
“My mind was solely on the present. We might not make it to the island; our ship may sink, but I didn’t let myself think about it.”
“People were pushing; the crowd was like the ocean waves below.”
“The ropes were weak, and I knew they would snap.”
“They did.”
“The men fell, the women fell, the children fell along with all their belongings like dumplings to the pot.”
“To my disgust, I did not feel conflict in my heart.”
“All that I cared about was that you were all safe.”