A student at MCCC is working with his cousin on a graphic novel about frogs seeking revenge.
Xander Beyer, 20, and Dominic Albanys, 22, have been creating their graphic novel “The Pond” since 2020 and are now anticipating the release.
Beyer, a student at MCCC, said the inspiration for the story came from a character Albanys created while playing Dungeons & Dragons.
“We didn’t think it was gonna go anywhere and then eventually, it turned into– now we have a full issue and we’re working on the second one with an outline for the third on the way,” Beyer said.
The story is described by Beyer and Albanys as a high-fantasy revenge plot that features samurai frogs. It revolves around an island called Sheora and takes readers through the journey of Skippy’s, the main characters, life.
Albanys, an artist from Michigan, describes Skippy’s journey as an internal conflict between reverting to his old ways and becoming a better version of himself.
Beyer said Skippy is a character who isn’t always good, but is necessary to keep different communities at ease.
“The Pond” has not been released yet, but Beyer said they hope to get it out before summer.
Beyer said they are in the process of self-publishing and are currently promoting “The Pond” before releasing it.
Beyer said they plan on making the graphic novel available in two different ways— physical and digital copies. He said it will potentially be available on Amazon.
Albanys also said they plan on sending the first issue free to anyone who signs up for their email list.
Albanys said the comic will be done in a hand-drawn style to create a more realistic feeling.
“It’s all gonna be hand drawn because I want it to feel like I’m sitting, like, in class with you and I pass you a story, you know, because I’m bored in class, like ‘hey, read this,’” Albanys said.
He said he and Albanys wanted the opportunity to create something together since they had never done it before. Beyer said he had always loved writing and since Albanys is an artist, they were excited to write something they both wanted to see.
“Essentially we wanted to create something together for a very long time because I’ve been writing my entire life and he’s been drawing,” Beyer said.
Albanys said he hopes people give “The Pond” a chance.
“Just read it, you know?” Albanys said.
The official Instagram page for “The Pond” is @the_pond_kingdom.
