Speculation Exercise: The Drive Behind The Rogue/The Flagettes

old character design is old!

I’ve grown up in an island archipelago nation where certain behaviours, characteristics and morals are expected of you in order to be considered ‘normal’.   Anything that differed from these set ideals- from your heritage and beliefs, to your sexuality and your status in life- you are often chastised, ridiculed, mocked and sometimes even attacked as not a “true-true Bahamian”.  In order to survive, one is often forced to hiding aspects of their true selves in order to blend in to society.

Therefore I believe that it’s important for the country of my birth to be confronted with the idea that more than just the ‘average’ exists within our populace, and that we as a society should stop ostracizing these persons for their differences- even [and especially] if the things that make us different is beyond our grasp of understanding- and instead concentrate on what truly unifies us as a people, and a nation.


The superhero genre- the tales of gifted individuals who combat their society's ills behind a mask to conceal their identities for protection- fits in perfectly with the identity struggle that I'm largely trying to tackle through the story of The Flagettes- especially when the reader is presented with a society that is not the metropolitan capitals of the Western world, but instead a 3rd world country- where 'different' is hardly ever welcomed with open arms.  The Flagettes will face opposition from all sides- from the criminal underbelly to the powerful people that don't want them there- simply because of their identity and what they represent.  Likewise, the girls behind The Flagettes will face similar challenges because of who they are and what they represent to the society of the Bahamas.

It's their journey- their struggle to understand their own identities both with and without the mask- that I want to explore.  And maybe if I do it right, I can make a difference in how people see their countrymen, despite their differences.

Typology Part 2: I'm Still Bahamian

"half-hyshun"

"paper"

"sissy"

The following was part 2 of my research, but this was brewing in my head for a while.  Words are often used to beat down and abuse persons just because.  And in the Bahamas, the labels used to describe those who are different are used by everyone in a degrading manner- by school children, 'boys' on the block, women in the office.  Hell, even our politicians throw these harmful words around and everyone laughs because it's considered okay.  The people who they are hurting with these words are part of an immoral, deviant minority.  Hurting them doesn't matter.

So it was important for me to give the Flagettes that as their source of conflict- both with and without the mask.  I decided to take my experiment a step further and covertly search for the phrases or words that were used to target people like them.  I then chose to weave the single word or phrase over and over again into the image of the Bahamian flag- because at the bottom line, the girls- like many others who are labelled like them- are still Bahamian.  A fact that is sometimes forgotten by many.

Typology Exercise Part 1- The Average Bahamian

Our first assignment for my Senior Studio Class was to embark upon a visual exploration via a diptych or typology.  I've elected to tackle both simultaneously, and use it as a springboard into not only launching The Flagettes as my project, but also introducing the complex country of my origins, the Bahamas.  as the physical setting of the comic, it's important that i find a way to explore the archipelago from two very distinct vantage points: one as a citizen looking critically at her countrymen, and as an ambassador for everyone else who's never set foot in the country [and probably never will].

Since a key point of conflict with the girls is their own identity versus the identity of the 'average' Bahamian populace, I thought that this was a good starting point.  Visiting the various Bahamian political forums that I frequent on Facebook [it's one of the quickest ways of being up-to-date with the daily news], I asked the members- all Bahamians- to describe the average Bahamian in one word or phrase.  None of the words came from myself [although I agree with nearly all of the words that came back], and I opted to leave the words unedited [as I feel that the mark of a 'true true Bahamian is their bad grammar XD].  The words and phrases I got in response were then assembled into a graphic with the Bahamian flag super-imposed on the words- the words themselves now becoming the fabric that makes up the flag.

Most of the words were exceptionally negative- this is a given for various reasons: the state of the country has certainly been more optimistic, we're on the precipice of the Silly Season [national elections-time] and it's always easier to pick out one's shortcomings than one's triumphs of character.

I feel that because of these words that my fellow Bahamians have opted to use in order to honestly describe themselves, characters like the Flagettes are needed- persons who can lift the spirits of a pessimistic nation and bind them closer together- much as other superheroes like Spider Man and Superman have done in the Marvel/DC comics respectively.

But as my next section of research will  show, that doesn't mean they'll be welcomed with open arms. 

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Ignore this folks, just testing the mobile blogging

first day...

...and i'm already STOKED for what's to come.

i had a really awesome yet stressful summer thanks to the three classes i took straight through [two B+'s and an A-, bitches!], so i was honestly really surprised that i reacted so strongly to seeing the throng of students  bustling around emily carr.  it was chaotic and crowded... and felt like home.  it makes the knowledge that this is going to be my final year in school a little sad.

anyway!  enough doom and gloom.  I GET A STUDIO SPACE!

i'll post pics of it later.  the actual space hasn't been fully set up yet, since it is technically shared space with the drawing students.  but it's awesome to know that there's a dedicated working space for us.

but now, it's rest time.  class again on thursday!

[oh yea!  i got $7500 from the Bahamian Government in the form of a National Grant!  how awesome is that?]