The last time I spoke with artist Caitlin Doe, she said she was working on an autobiographical comic book about culture shock diaspora. About coming to America while being Asian, and what it was like for a kid from China to be thrown into an American public elementary school without knowing how to speak English or make friends.
Well, Du and I spoke a few weeks ago and sure enough, that cartoon now exists in the real world. It’s called JIALIN’S WORLD and showcases some of the artist’s most distinctive styles. We spoke to Mr. Do about the creation of this new autobiographical comic. Read the short interview below and check out these preview pages.
Christian Angeles: “JIALIN’S WORLD” was a very cute story. To me, it feels more like a children’s book. What inspired you to write about finding friendship?
CAITLIN DU: The idea for this story started very naturally. I was chatting with my boyfriend and the conversation drifted into boring stories from my childhood. When I was a kid, I took things very seriously. They did things like “I jumped off the second floor of a building to prove my courage,” and “I doubted the existence of God because I couldn’t see God in the sky while I was on a plane.” My super supportive boyfriend laughed at this and said he wanted to see a cartoon about me as a kid.
That inspired me to create my version of “Kalin” (not me). I chose the 4-panel format because I often read newspaper comics. I am particularly inspired by Calvin and Hobbes. It’s silly but introspective, and I love how you can understand each strip without any prior context.
Angels: They say that every artist begins by writing what they know. What can you tell me about your experience attending school here, given that you primarily spoke Chinese and had to blend in?
DU: The process of adapting to America was much more difficult than in Jialin, especially since I didn’t learn English just by eating chicken nuggets. I lived in America for a year when I was 8 years old. My mom was getting her master’s degree in North Carolina, so I stayed with her and enrolled in a nearby Christian elementary school. Most of Kalin’s world was supposed to revolve around the chaos of God and Kalin. But after I wrote more about the characters, I decided to drop that plot. Jia Lin does not question and instead comes up with her own explanation.
Learning a new language is difficult. I remember being able to understand but not being able to communicate. I was isolated. Even though I speak English fluently now, I sometimes misinterpret idioms. Non-English speakers please be patient. That’s difficult.
Angeles: That’s true. Did your mother encourage you to read comics as a child? Where did your first comics and artistic influences come from?
DU: She didn’t! Neither of my parents understand comics. My father asked me the order in which I read the previous comics.
The strip you mention, which Karin’s mother gave her the comic to “kill time,” is based on real life. But that only happened because I only read comics selectively. There were so many words in Diary of a Wimpy Kid that I refused to read it for a while. For young Caitlin, comics are great = less words and more pictures. (Imagine my surprise when I started reading Persepolis and Maus in middle school.)
In addition to that, my first manga influences came from the popular Chinese manga “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf”, the manga “Bleach”, and some very bad manga adaptations of Chinese newspaper comics. Also worth mentioning: Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell is the work that inspired me to become an actual cartoonist.
Angels: This is the second comic I’ve read from you about a daughter and her mother. First it was Fly Child, and now it’s Jialin’s World. Is there something you want to say about the motif? Maybe some kind of message?
DU: This is actually my fourth completed comic book that features an important mother figure. I didn’t have a very good relationship with her since childhood. I had felt deep resentment toward her for some time, feeling like she was controlling, neglectful, and emotionally unstable. Our relationship soured when I became clinically depressed in high school.
But recently, I’ve come to understand her. She was and is a busy woman who has had to take care of her business, her parents’ health, her household finances, and her children while striving to achieve more. That’s why I drew her like that in this manga. Although she is always on her devices, she tries to make time for Karin. She doesn’t give the best advice, but she does her best.
Angels: What tools and techniques do you use to express the colors in your art?You now have a very vibrant splash page.
Du: Thank you! I’m very proud of that. I use dip pens for inking and Procreate for coloring. I had a problem with making the colors too dark. Therefore, I decided to leave the white part on the page as a highlight. This really works! Color is relative, so blocking out white areas and filling in with a more solid black will make the color stand out more.
Angeles: Finally, what’s next in terms of finishing your creative projects and programs?
DU: I’m working on a new comic. This is a science fiction/dystopian comic based in an alternate reality where the Earth has run out of fossil fuels. The two main characters are tasked with finding an alternative energy source, but they discover darker secrets… It’s their choice to live out their dreams in a society they hate, or leave everything behind and start anew.
I’m in the very early stages! The writing is almost complete and I’ve started building my first dummy. However, we will keep you updated via Instagram @phantalism.
And I hope to see you at some fairs soon.
Something like this:
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