224. LITTLE WARRIOR: Chapter 1
So this is a bit different. I’ve been dabbling writing my own comics for the past few years, starting way back in January 2015 with The Calling. It’s something I’ve done occassionaly (see The Monster Named Fear and My Spirit is A Roaring Sea), but it was adapting David Bowie’s quote Go A Little Further that really lit a fire under my ass to do more. I still enjoy adapting quotes but after doing over 200 of them it’s become … comfortable. This year I challenged myself to write an original graphic novel using my favourite Zen Pencils character, the Little Warrior girl from Desiderata and My Spirit is a Roaring Sea. Well, it’s a been a busy start to the year, with a new book collection out in January and organising a move back home from Melbourne to Perth, but I’ve finally got around to starting it, and here it is … the first chapter!
Who is this new guy and what happened to the Monk?
Ok, so think of the Desiderata adaptation as being the prologue to this story. Now I know what you’re thinking: Who the hell is this fat, mustachioed man and what happened to the Zen Kung-Fu Monk?? Right, well I made a executive decision and changed the character. You see the thing is – the monk makes a great logo, but he’s not a very well-designed character. When I initially designed him nearly 7 years ago I never intended him to be starring in a full-length graphic novel. His design is generic and and not very visually interesting for me to draw. Since I’m going to be drawing this guy over and over again for months, perhaps years (I don’t know how long this story will take to complete) I have to ENJOY drawing him. Someone I absolutely loved drawing was the father from my Ballet Boy comics (see Us Against the World) so I designed Uncle Bolo based on him. His look also makes a lot more sense for the story I have in mind: someone big, old and hairy! So that’s the explanation. I’m sorry to those who have grown to love the Zen Monk. Hopefully you grow to love this new character too.
Now I need your help!
Little Warrior is a story I’ve had in mind for a long time. It’s going to combine everything I love: Kung-Fu, Action, Pixar and Miyazaki films, comic books, history and philosophy. However the story is massive, at least over 200 pages (this first chapter is 11 pages) and will take me at least a year to complete. I’ll post chapters as fast as I can, but it will depend on how much support I receive on Patreon. I’ve mentioned Patreon before – it’s a great way for creatives to get financial support directly from their fans – and a huge thank you to those of you already pledging money. The more Patrons I get (the first goal is to reach 1000) the faster I can post new chapters. If I reach beyond 1000 then my goal is to hire someone to colour the pages, meaning even faster updates. I’m hoping for Little Warrior to become a fully fan-funded online graphic novel. VISIT MY PATREON PAGE
Is this the end of Zen Pencils?
No. I’ll still be adapting quotes from time to time. Maybe in-between Little Warrior chapters or less frequently, I’m not sure yet. Honestly, I haven’t come across any mind-bending quotes in awhile as I feel a lot of those I get sent cover the same messages that I’ve already adapted. Please do keep sending me your favourite quotes and if I feel compelled to adapt it, I will.
I’ve been pretty scared about starting this. Part of the hesitancy was being overwhelmed by the length of the story and the amount of work required. Also, some of it has been financially daunting – How am I going to fund it? Will my readers be turned off by this? Should I just stick to “Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks”? All of these questions have been holding me back. It’s fear. So I just forced myself to start the damn thing. By posting this first chapter, I’m holding myself accountable. Now I have to keep going and finish it or I’m going to look like an idiot. I’m not sure if it will work out … but I have to try and “go a little further”. I really think everything I’ve learned from making Zen Pencils comics for the past 6 six years has been preparing me for this and I hope you come along for the ride.
Thanks for your support
– Gav
I’d recommend keeping the second advise as “, but not ” to keep it consistent with the rest of your advise, which runs in that format.
I think there’s a spelling error in “expend the bodie’s energy”. It’s meant to be “body’s”.
Will you be showing this whole thing tomorrow or part of it bit by bit?
It’ll take some getting used to because they both feel like new characters even though the warrior girl was from a previous comic.
Thanks for pointing out the typos, I will fix them shortly. No, i’ll be posting chapter by chapter. I WISH I could post the whole thing tomorrow – that would mean that it’s finished!
*bodies’
(something), but not (something).
I put those in angle brackets forgetting the HTML codes will filter them out! Oops.
Love the new direction Gav, but especially appreciate the motivation behind it. We all need to “go a little further” when what we love doing becomes a comfortable, and I have to thank you again for a creative nudge precisely when I’m pushing out of my own comfort zone too.
In the wise words of another highly-quotable hero “A man must constantly exceed his level” – keep doing amazing and brave things 😉
Cheers Josh, thanks for the continued support!
Who is anyone to determine what you should do that is right for you and now your budding family? We are fortunate to be invited on this journey and will gladly come along for the ride wherever it’s destination. Much love and really enjoyed this installation and looking forward to future chapters. I’m already your patroon supporter and will ride with you though think and thin. Thanks for all that you do.
Thanks so much!!! that really means a lot, i know you’ve been supporting me a long time 🙂
Glad to see you are stretching in a new direction, and love the beginning. As Henry Ford said, “if I had asked what people wanted, they’d have said a bigger horse”…
Cheers Brad!
I think it’s time for you to start telling your stories in your own words. I look forward to seeing what you do.
Thanks Rebecca, I agree
Loved this. can’t wait to read more of it.
Thanks Jolie!
I recognized the uncle right away! I’m just overjoyed to see the little ballerina’s amazing papa again.
This new story has me hooked already. Love it.
Good to hear Ann!
I loved the call back to the shaolin monk comic, “the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle” Keep up the good work, Gav!
Yes a little easter egg for long time readers 🙂
“Long-winded writers I abhor, and glib, prolific chatters;
give me the ones who tear and gnaw their hair and pens to tatters:
who find their writing such a chore they only write what matters.”
-Piet Hein
Thanks for writing what matters. Love your work.
Nice quote, thanks Geoff 🙂
Hey Gavin, Nicd to see you doing some original work! Can’t wait for the next chapter. 😀
Thanks Heath!
Great. Nice job 🙂 .
thanks
Great work Gav, I really like this new comic and the meaning behind. I am very looking forward to the next chapters.
Have a nice day!!!
cheers Matteo
I’m very excited about this new venture, will be waiting for the next installment! You’re a great example of going your own way and hope you’ll reach your goals through your art. We’ll help through Patreon, hoping to read you for many years in the future.
If you want some inspiration for quote adapting, let me just say 42!
Thanks Marco! ah, yes the great douglas adams 🙂
Gav,
Change is good. Change means you’re still alive.
Enjoy Perth. I have fond memories of the city from nearly 40 years ago. I doubt I’d recognize it now.
Cheers,
Jeff
Thanks Jess, well it’s almost unrecognisable since the 11 years I left
okay, I understand the change for design but will we ever get an in between story about why he left her with him?
no, the monk has been totally rewritten out of this new story
I LOVE little warrior, it´s my favorite character! And I love the story! <3
yay!
Change is VERY good. Cheers, Gav.
yes it is!
I’m *REALLY* hoping for a crossover with the boy who dances ballet!
I’m looking forward to this story. Good job.
mmmm that would be tricky – this story takes place a long time ago, but maybe!
How do you plan to make sense of the change from the zen monk to the uncle being her instructor story line wise?
In my mind, if this ever gets collected into a book, then I would include the prologue but redraw it with the new character
I was thinking you could make the monk out to be a figment of her imagination; a reflection of how she perceives her uncle, that would provide a chance for him to appear at points. What do the characters’ names mean btw?
Welcome to Perth! I hope I don’t end up fangirling if I see you in public :p It’s always a joy seeing your work. I wish you all the best in whatever direction you end up taking. Can’t wait for the rest of your work!
Thanks Hannah, well pretty much everyone knows everyone in Perth so i’ll prob bump into you soon 🙂
Change is good!! It adds a variation and i’m looking fwd for chapter 2 ! Keep doing what you do!! =D
Thanks Arina
I enjoyed the old format but as a storytelling fan, critic, and storyteller I do love a good long form story and it seems pretty good so far. Good luck with it. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.
phew – the critic’s happy 🙂
After all this time teaching us to follow our hearts, we could hardly fault you for doing the same could we? I’ll be reading as faithfully as before.
Thanks Jase, yeah I didn’t want to say that, but you’re right – I have to practice what I’ve been preaching all these years!
So happy that you’re exploring new avenues. I also like the new character- you’re right, it’s much more fun to draw him over the long-term. I’m looking forward to the rest of the story 🙂 Good luck!!
Thank you 🙂
Worth the wait! I’m excited to see how it goes.
Cheers Rob
Hi GAV, looking forward to next chapter, the coloring and highlighting is great… best of luck in you’re new home…
Thanks Carlo!
Maybe Uncle Bolo WAS the original Zen Pencils monk. In his youth at least. TIme makes fools of us all as they say.
mmmm interesting
This is awesome!
Congrats on making the leap!
Hoping you get lots of support on this 🙂
cheers Carlin!
I recognized the ballet father. 🙂 He’s one of my favorites too.
I do have the monk posted on my wall, from a poster pack of yours. But kudos for trying something new! Love the first chapter.
thanks jennie!
I really like this. Waiting for the next chapter.
🙂
Uncle Bolo reminds me of Ernst Hemmingway and his book The old man and the sea.
well i did feature hemingway in a comic not long ago, maybe it rubbed off
I love it! I think it made sense to leave the Monk from the story, and I’m glad you chose ballet dad instead. When it comes to doing your own graphic novel instead of only doing inspirational quotes, I feel that it is only something necessary for moving forward as an artist. You can always return to quotes, but trying new things is absolutely essential. Go for it!
thanks Kaori!
All the best in your new adventure, Gav! I’ll always be a dedicated follower.
cheers Jules!
This comic looks phenomenal and I’m really interested to see where you take this. Great work and all the best Gav!
Thanks Mel!
Very excited to see you stretching yourself. It will keep you sane and keep the creativity fresh. Writing your own story is a natural transition. Loved the first chapter??
Thanks Julie!
Very excited to see you stretching yourself
I’m so happy to see her and psyched to see where she goes! If I stop working and sleeping to sit around reading your comics and melting into the stuff they inspire me to read and do all day I would.
Thanks QJ 🙂
Good job Gav. I am now a fan of Uncle Bolo. He in some strange ways reminds me of Master Yoda. Keep doing the great job!
Nice Story, I always follow your story…
Hi Gav,
First time I’ve posted but I just wanted to say, though I loved the warrior monk, the uncle from the ballet boy comics was probably my second favorite character behind the Dad from the Poem Boys comics. Both characters are very similar in that their exteriors portray one things being biggish and gruff but they make you rethink the visual persona we push on them to show often some amazing depth and understanding. I hope that some of that comes from the uncle aswell and not just his look :). My father and I always watched the old kung-Fu movies while I was growing up, it use to be a Thursday night ritual and it’s exciting to see you do a comic book version of this.
Lastly I’ve seen you adapt multiple quotes on this site and though you have touched on a lot of my favorite quotes, your comic of Mandela being my favorite, one I thought I would mention that is different to what you have done previously is Tupac Shakur’s the rose that grew from concrete. It it reminds us that everyone has their rough edges and hard sides but at the end of the day it is who we are fully that people see and what we have done to get where we are:
You try to plant something in the concrete,
If it GROW, and the and the rose petal got all kind of
Scratches and marks, you not gon’ say, “Damn, look at
All the scratches and marks on the rose that grew from concrete”
You gon’ be like, “Damn! A rose grew from the concrete?!”
Same thing with me, I grew out of all of this
I’m just tryin to make somethin..
I enjoyed reading your articles. This is truly a great experience for me.
very interesting articles, thanks.
All the best for your new adventure, Gavin!! Can’t wait to read the new chapters 🙂 Just a thing: in the 2nd vignette, shouldn’t it be “Thinking, but not dreaming”?
I enjoyed reading your articles. This is truly a great experience for me.
Just poked my head in. Glad to see you sore and your wings again. Hope all is well
Hahah. Stupid autocorrect. Spreading your wings but I guess doing all this drawing makes your wings sore
I do like the way you draw ! I have a review website, you are free for freelance service ?
Is there a further episode to this story. I am intrigued – i want to know if she escorts him on his journey,
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Love your work, whatever form it takes!
I started my writing life with poetry, and I LOVE your interpretations of poems, esp Invictus, If, and Ithaka.
If you’re ever feeling it, and no one’s suggested it yet, I love to see your take on Robert Service.
He was a pretty incredible guy- he’s most famous for his ballads about the Yukon Gold Rush (“The Spell of the Yukon” “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, etc.) but he also drove an ambulance in France during World War I.
Some of my faves by him include those two, and “The Land of Beyond,” “The Men That Don’t Fit In,” “My Madonna,” “The Ordinary Man,” “The Song of the Wage-Slave,” and “The Quitter.”
Look him up and give it a think!
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Congratulatons, and I wish you the best of luck for both the books and the teaching job. I’ve long been enjoying your work, it’s so unique and different from any other comics, i’m always thrilled to see a new chapter, and I’m really glad to know you’re mooving forward and starting a new chapter in your work life. it will certainly be a success! Thank you for sharing!
Eagerly waiting for next part.. 🙂
Perhaps uncle Bolo was the original monk. In his youth at least. Time makes fools of us all as they say.
This is another good storytelling, I just remembered my old uncle before.
Anyway, I’m waiting for next episode and hope that I’ll see the new action scene.
This is so cool!! I’m super excited for this story!
Love it! Stoked to read the next chapter.
Awaiting the next part….. make it soon, please!
hello sir, i am waiting for your latest comics. Your big fan 🙂
your posts are very informative. Best comics writer
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