The Drowned King is a fantasy comic based on Arthurian legend. After King Arthur dies,
he is sent to Avalon, a mystical island that will serve as his afterlife. However, he is restless and
desperate to return to the world of the living. When he tries to escape, he is captured by a
powerful fae, who might just be able to give him another chance at living.

My intent with this thesis was to explore the idea of escapism, as well as the art of
Arthurian adaptation. I wanted to understand why I love to escape into fictional worlds, and that
line of questioning brought me to Arthur abandoning heaven. He refuses comfortable
complacency, fleeing fantasy in favor of the unforgiving reality he left behind. Destiny is a very
strong theme in the Arthurian legends. For example, Arthur usually ascends to the throne through
mystical means (e.g. pulling a sword out of a stone), and is powerless to escape his own tragic
death. It’s a compelling story, but I wanted to create an Arthur that was capable of breaking out
of it. And thus my story became one of self-determination; sometimes you have to take risks and
break out of your designated role to truly live.

I wanted my visual approach to match Arthur’s boldness, so I used a heavy hand with my
inking. My thick black lines, paired with solid black shading, guaranteed that the comic would
read well with or without color. When I did add color, it functioned to add sophistication and set
the tone of each page. My goal in combining digital and traditional inking methods was to find
the balance between gesture and precision that would most effectively tell my story.