Jim Swindle BFA Illustration Thesis Spring 2023
I have created the first 15 pages of a webcomic formatted for print that explores themes of Christian religious manipulation and depression. The story, called ‘To A Crisp,’ takes place in a fantasy setting, following a young woman trying to escape imprisonment by a violent cult (a parody of Christianity) before she is consumed by a parasite. Using a thin-lined, flat, yet detailed style, I used limited color palettes featuring bright primary colors to signify magical elements of the setting. The intended audience of this story is people who have been negatively affected by Christianity, specifically LGBT people, because of my own experiences as a LGBT person living in a Christian-dominated world. My intent is to provide these people with an entertaining story that treats Christianity with the same disrespect that LGBT identities (as well as the identities of people of color and people part of non-Christian religions) have been treated. If a Christian person chooses to read my story, I want them to feel deeply offended and disrespected; the same way that I feel while being discriminated against in a Christian society.