30 Characters Challenger: Jande Rowe

Hello all,

I’m Jande (aka @eccentricOrbits). I’m the wearer-of-all-hats behind Aedre’s Firefly, the graphic novel fantasy about a starved dysfunctional young girl who has been made the town scapegoat. I hadn’t intended it to be a long form graphic novel. Originally it was a simple short story of about fifty panels at the most, but somehow the main character kept on at me to tell the whole story. I don’t script it very far ahead, so I still need more character designs for her story.

I also create Wheeler’s Orbits which is a more humorous comic about a couple of guys trying to get their inherited outer-space haulage company out of the red. That one will soon to debut on my website. Plus, I have a number of novels and short stories (mostly fantasy and science-fantasy) on the back burner waiting their chance to debut. And my husband also has a number of stories that cry out for the graphic novel approach. All of these are going to need more characters.

I’ve been in the webcomics venue since January 1st of this year and so far its been quite a ride. I’m still struggling to set up my web site properly (using Comic Press), and the graphic novel I’ve been posting has gone through a number of format changes, trying to find that balance point between work-a-holism and still having sleep, food, friends, and family.

Life was certainly easier when all I had to do to justify my existence was to make a painting –landscapes and abstracts being my forte. And then I had to go and challenge myself to claim a small corner of the webcomics world, and commit to updating weekly to boot. I have always loved comics. I have been drawing since the age of three. Self-taught, I discovered the rules of perspective late in life. I was almost thirty. But what a transformative discovery that was! Yet there is always more ways to improve my art. I hope to learn more from some of you, and perhaps, you too will learn something from me.

I’m normally a very shy, very private person, so getting involved in all of this is challenging in the extreme for me. But I have been gradually making happy acquaintance with some wonderful creators as well as being able to tell a story that showcases the resilience and the capacity for growth of the individual human spirit.

Category: About, Participants