Crafting a short story through the art of mythmaking

Abstract

The following work is a journey to create a new myth in the form of an illustrated book. This was achieved through research of the hero’s journey (monomyth) and idea of modern myths. Complementary to the research, the practical work involved character design, world building and narrative. I aim to subvert the hero’s journey by introducing themes of existentialism, the anti-hero, and the absurd hero. Hence the protagonist is presented as a mature hero who has already gone on multiple heroic journeys. In this story the Hero faces his deepest anxieties about death and the absurdity of his existence. In overcoming this the narrative reaches its aesthetic solution where death is a bliss.