About Passing Town

Passing Town is set in the bucolic community of Ableton. I have trouble labeling my work by genre, but most people say it has a fantasy "texture." And it’s true that you could neither get Mapquest directions to Ableton, nor could I tell you the exact dates these events took place there. Also, some of the people who live or visit Ableton behave in some outlandish ways and have some pretty far-fetched beliefs about their universe and place therein, which, of course is nothing at all like reality... right?

The world in which Ableton is located can also be entered through an unpublished (non-graphic) novel of mine. Passing Town’s creation is the result of a desire to find some immediate way of placing that world out in the sunlight that hits our own. There’s more of a community for online comics/graphic novels than purely text-based stories, so I decided to change media. I didn’t want to retell the same story, though, so Passing Town was created around a single chapter which is set in Ableton in that novel. My current story-arc ends when these two stories intersect.

Tidy, eh? That’s the foundation. But when the cement was poured, the witnesses disposed of, and I was rubbing my well-scrubbed hands together in anticipation, someone mentioned something to me. We'll call this person Jake.

“Hey,” Jake said, “don’t graphic novels usually have, you know, graphics? And aren’t you a writer? And don’t you draw like a six-year-old? In fact, don’t you draw pretty much exactly like a six-year-old since you were that age the last time you drew anything at all?”

So then I said, “Er” and then I gagged Jake hiking sock.

This history should explain why the “artwork” can be politely described as "folksy" and "genuine" or accurately described as being of poor quality.

The good news is that I’m rapidly improving (easy to accomplish when you’re an adult with the skill of a six-year-old). For instance, here's a sample of my work from a couple of months back:

It's an earlier conception of this comic that I tossed out. Of course, like any new project, expect some changes in the appearance of installments over time. Maybe we’ll eventually return to a format in which all the characters are weightlifting anthropomorphic cats.

Thanks to Manauser, for all kinds of help, but especially of the html variety.

About Passing Town’s Author

That would be me. Nina Bird is my nom de plume and childhood nickname. This identity feels at least as real as the one associated with my legal name. The distinction is convenient because my alter ego sometimes writes things which are significantly more factual, hopefully more credible, and a lot more boring. I wouldn’t want any of you to stumble upon one of those projects and accidentally lose consciousness while trying to read something with a “methodology” section.

I welcome all comments, questions, critiques, and duel-oriented demands for satisfaction. Write me!