The Dog's Tale: A Short Post-Apocalyptic Comic

How and Why I Made This Comic

A Storytelling Challenge

This comic is a result of a challenge I set for myself to become a better storyteller. Of course, I could've written short stories. However, because I also wanted to improve my skills as an artist, I decided to combine my storytelling and artistic skills and make comics instead. Why draw and write separately, when I can do both at the same time?

I had the idea for this comic a few weeks ago, but I wasn't sure how to tell the story, especially in such a short format. So, I took my time to brainstorm and think about the story I wanted to tell, and how I could make it interesting and enjoyable to read, keeping it really short at the same time (I don't want to do long comics or graphic novels, yet!).

I think what helped me, in the end, was remembering how stories are told in movies. Cinema often shows us that something has happened without really telling us what happened; they show us the consequences of the event, and let us infer what must have happened. That's what I tried here by including a final sequence of similar "shots" of the dog arriving at Jamestown Colony, but without his owner.

Setting and Themes

The comic is set in a dystopian future somewhere in the Midwest. A man and his dog are living in a protected above-the-ground bunker. Due to the catastrophic events caused by the world war and the number of climatic and biological incidents being outside is one of the most dangerous things anyone can do. However, staying inside is not possible as resources don't last forever and must be replenished. Together with his dog, the protagonist decides to move to a nearby settlement in search of resources. Sadly, out of the two only the dog survives the perils of the outside and arrives at Jamestown Colony.

The theme of the story is loss, and how even in the darkest of times there is still hope.

The dog arriving at the colony alone shows that even though the dog lost his owner and the protagonist lost his life, but his decision to go out and try to find resources was not in vain. In a way, the dog is a symbol of hope, and how, when everything seems hopeless, there is still a chance for things to get better.

Influences and Design

I think the story is heavily influenced by a number of dystopian movies, books, and games I've seen, read, and played such as Mad Max, The Road, The Walking Dead, and, of course, Fallout. I tried to incorporate some of the elements that I really enjoyed in those stories, while also making the story my own.

I didn't put much time into character design since I wanted the focus to be on the story and honestly, I still lack the skills to call it "character design". If anything, it is more like "character sketching" and intuitive design. But I hope the dog turned out quite cute!

And, if you’re interested, the whole comic was drawn in black and white on A6 cards using an HB pencil for sketching and Copic pens for line work and inking. The lettering was done in Photoshop with Anime Ace 2 font.

I hope you enjoyed the comic and please let me know what you think in the comments!