I released the prologue of my graphic novel project in 2022 as a limited edition 12-page broadsheet newspaper format. JOSEPH, the prologue, uses a minimum of words, i.e. the story is told through a visual narrative. The story focuses on incidents on November 21, 1948. The black and white sketches have an aged and film noir quality. They are hand-drawn with black China Marker on newsprint, highlighted with white ink. The broadsheet format is a celebration of the printed newspaper and its tactile connection to history and place. It also celebrates the fact that I was first immersed in this journey when my father handed me a newspaper cutout in 2003.
© Katarina Thorsen 2022
This was a limited edition publication. 400 copies in total were printed. The hardcopy of the 12-page broadsheet (newspaper) measures: 380 mm x 578 mm (approx. 15″ x 28″). This prologue project was made possible in large part by: The 2021 Yosef Wosk Publication Fund at Vancouver Heritage Foundation (VHF).
The visuals are hand-drawn with China Marker on newsprint, highlighted with white ink. The almost wordless document is designed to make the viewer take time to read the visuals, to search for clues about the family and the upcoming stories and to engage with the newsprint itself. The original images were done by hand. The black and white tones in the finished product vary. Some folk may handle the paper carefully, treating the story as precious. Some may throw the newspaper into the recycling bin or put it at the bottom of a bird cage. Or use it to doodle or write notes on. All of it good! My hope is that readers’ hands get a bit dirty from the ink. That the paper yellows over time. That the folds alter the images.
For me, the creative process continues as the newsprint changes.
The grant facilitated some of the most powerful and transformative experiences of my life. VHF validated my work and, as a result, opened the door to opportunities such as receiving a grant from British Columbia Arts Council to work on 24 drawings between March 1 – May 31, 2023. Serendipitously, on the same day that I received the BCAC letter of approval (Feb 23, 2023), I received my acceptance letter from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity to participate in their Literary Arts program’s first ever Graphic Novels and Visual Narratives residency April 23 – May 6, 2023.
The residency (first time I have EVER done something like that) allowed me the time, space, support, sustenance to participate and to step fully into my identity as a graphic novelist at age 61. I left Banff Centre with a profound sense of belonging having been part of building a community of extraordinary peers from around the world. I was able to workshop my project, receive profound and invaluable advice and to rework the scope of the project and the narrative arc. My target date for completing the 200 drawing process was July 2024.
I am delighted to share that I met that goal I will be publishing my completed graphic novel with Conundrum Press in 2025.
My experimental graphic novel, Salt Green Death, is a work of creative nonfiction born out of the historical research on Joseph and his Vancouver-based, family saga spanning mainly 1924 – 1963.
“She is drowning. Agenbite. Save her. Agenbite. All against us. She will drown me with her, eyes and hair. Lank coils of seaweed hair around me, my heart, my soul. Salt green death.”
– James Joyce, Ulysses, Random House, 1946 Canadian Edition
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TESTIMONIALS:
Thanks for entrusting us with your art scanning project. You are an amazing artist. Every piece from your portfolio was beautifully crafted with fine details and all pencil sketched. We are grateful to have worked with you on this challenging project. The publication specifications were very specific and our operator was qualified to make all the adjustments in Photoshop. By giving us the extra time we required we felt very satisfied with the end result. It was like a mission completed feeling! We look forward to seeing you and your next art project soon! Thanks again for the great review – from your friends at TR TRADES.
Joseph, the Prologue, by Katarina Thorsen, a 12-page broadsheet format teaser for their proposed graphic novel. Promising stuff! – Gary Spencer Millidge, comic creator, writer, illustrator
I just lost an hour going through your broadsheet. Wow. Can’t wait to go back in and look at everything I missed the first time! It’s absolutely stunning and I can’t wait to see your next steps. – Eve Lazarus, Writer/Author/Speaker
Wow! What a great looking comic! As you may know, I love print, and newspaper comics/funnies hold a special place in my heart. Your large broadsheet is a beautiful homage to print, materiality, making, handling, and the comics medium. Excellent work. – Julian Lawrence, cartoonist, educator, comics scholar
I received Joseph The Prologue in the mail… The art is even better in person and takes on a whole different quality, I t’s really different relating to it physically, needing to actually reposition myself in order to inspect certain corners, etc. It also did what a good prologue should do which was get me interested in the story to come. – Benjamin A.
I wanted to thank you for submitting copies of your wonderful and fascinating work. I have cataloged them in the library’s pamphlet collection under the call number NWp 971.1Va T522, where they will be available for researchers to consult. – Taryn Jones, Archivist and Librarian, BC Archives
“I have to tell you how magical it was, for the first time in years, to be holding a broadsheet newspaper in my hands. All the sense memories returned! And yours behaved just the way the old Vancouver broadsheets did. In spite of its large size, it folded beautifully and was never unwieldy. It made me realize how much I miss the ritual of holding a broadsheet. I should have been sitting in an old Vancouver diner booth with a formica table top and a cup of Joe in a white ceramic cup with those forest-green swirls at the top, to make the experience truly peak! It’s so easy to get lost in your art and its incredible ability to evoke a time and place.” – Pamela Post, Journalist, Broadcaster, Filmmaker/Educator, CBC Documentarian
Hullo Kat! Joseph, the Prologue, is incredible. I love it! And the smell of newsprint fits it perfectly! You are amazing for this idea! So interesting and informative! Thank you! Doot doola doot doo… – NARDWUAR!
“JOSEPH, a creative non-fiction graphic novel project” — it’s remarkable. – Creative Nonfiction
UPDATE MAY 2025:
My graphic novel, Salt Green Death (Conundrum Press, 2025), is a work of creative nonfiction born out of historical research – a Vancouver-based, family saga spanning mainly 1924 – 1968. The prologue broadsheet focuses on incidents on November 21, 1948.
For more information on Salt Green Death, go to: LINK
JOSEPH the prologue © Katarina Thorsen 2022 