I may have to make a seating chart to keep track of all these background characters. O_o
The previous comic's reader comments brought up a lot of questions about what sort of teaching techniques Selkie's school uses that I must admit, I did not think about. :x After doing some reading, I decided that the classroom uses a whiteboard instead of a chalkboard (easier on potential asthma issues) and uses light colors on the walls and floors to encourage a "bright" atmosphere (the background shadows are also a little paler than the "outdoors" scenes because of this. I left the character's shadows regular so they stand out more), and has some potted plants at the front (not visible in this strip) for color and a sense of life. I read a few articles about computers and even iPads in modern classrooms, but decided that equipment that runs $300-$500 per unit would not be a good investment for excitable and inattentive elementary students, so the kids will use books and paperback journals. The desks have cubbyholes instead of flip tops to reduce accidental finger-slams. GAWD that is a lot of commentary. XD
D’aww, the reunion is adorable! And oh god, I remember that multiplication poster far too well.
Wow, I haven’t commented in forever, lol. I will do so again starting today!
I remember that poster as well. Mine went up to 12 though.
Yeah, I remember those charts going up to 12. We had to memorize the times tables up to 12, too.
…Annnnnd my teacher would cover it during tests.
Yup, went to twelve, they started us on that in third or fourth grade. Forgot which… That was back in the 80’s. Covered it during tests, naturally:)
Intresting, but if I may be so bold, fix panel five a little.
It looks like he has Reed Richards beef arms.
I’m glad to see that Selkie has friends left at school. I was worried that her first day would be entirely traumatic.
I’m impressed that the teacher wears a hijab. Not sure *why* I’m impressed by that, but I am.
Calumet City is remarkably inclusive in general, it seems. If a gray-skinned amphibious girl showed up in any other city, whereever she lived would be besieged by tabloid reporters in, like, five minutes. 🙂
But, more seriously, I know what you mean. There doesn´t seem to be much, if any racism or homophobia anywhere.
Oh, they’re fine with other racial types, as long as you are at least human. It’s still racist the way people might react if they found out the truth. Yes, I too noticed a lot of different nationalities. In fact everyone appears to be something different. But, hey, throw in a blue-skinned, non-human and ya get “Eewwwww!”. Sheesh. Kids… AND adults.
So does her class have two teachers?
Also I must have had a wierd elementary school. Ours was shaped box like on the front but the back side was like a clover where the different grades were in different leaves of it. We also had a huge playground and a nature preserve thing in the back where we’d do our earth science classes.
Ms. Flower is a student teacher/assistant. She’ll be introduced properly in a bit.
… and although the other teachers have told Mrs Afkhami all about the special-needs girl from the orphanage, Ms. Flower has no idea what she’s in for.
I just reread this comment, and missed the bit about a NATURE PRESERVE?! I wish my elementary schools had a nature preserve built in! That must have been awesome.
Yea it was kinda cool. We had a large pond where they had all sorts of fish and amphibians to study and a lot of plants they brought in. I wish I would have stayed there longer but I ended up leaving in the third grade. I’m probably remembering it being more awesome than it really was, things always seem that way I suppose.
Especially as a child. XD
Yea, I really miss being a kid. Everything used to be so awesome and great and now its nothing but work and bills.
Man, I wish those were still the most important things. Would be a lot easier to meet people you haven’t seen in awhile.
“So, what you been up to?”
“You know…same ‘ol same ‘ol. Learned to draw Spider-Man, though.”
“Sweet.”
“I know, right?”
Oh man…me too.
Yea, people look at me a little weird when I say I made a new toy or something. Sadly it also makes kids think I’m Santa since I used to have a huge beard and work on toys while waiting for a ride home form work.
Oh cool! A teacher with Hijab *is Muslim* I don’t wear the headscarf though. Anyway, I’m glad she’s run into a friend though.
Thank you for having a diverse cast! It’s comic artists like you that make the world a better place.
I actually feel bad that the diversity of Shards had the opposite effect on people. Someone asked us if our cast was entirely “white”. I blinked and responded that David is clearly middle-easternish, Humpty is an undead eggoid, Velvy is an animated inanimate object, Jack is a Brit, Mother Goose is a… well… goose, and half of the Dorothies aren’t even human. So… No, the cast isn’t “white” LOL. The diversity in Selkie is much more apparant because the story takes place in “real life” whereas Shards takes place in multiple story/fairy tale realms converging at once.
As others have pointed out already, I think it’s rather refreshing that you have a diverse cast of characters, Dave! 🙂 I wish things could be more like that in my town; I’m SURROUNDED by stuck-up, rich, white, snobby A-holes. There even wasn’t much variety in my school. :/
:3 Very happy to see Selkie and Georgie are in the same class together, though! That way Selkie isn’t just alone in a class full of kids who don’t know her and no one will sit in the desks surrounding her… willingly. XD
(Sniff) I too am nostalgic for my Primary schooldays (Secondary sucked euphemisms). The local estate had several rows of “sheltered housing”, so I went to school with Poles, formerly-itinerant Irish, and even a couple of Romanies. It was super.
All that variety has gone now, the third generation being completely assimilated. Ah, “What are those blue remembered hills…”?
Oh- er, great cartoon today Dave!
That, too. It´s good to see Selkie happy again, after the school day started so poorly. And it´s good to see Georgie happy again, too.
I’m also really impressed that we’ve got a character with a hijab – so rare in comics and I’m happy to see you’re continuing with the great diverse cast. Good page!
I mapped out where everything was in the Candy Man arc of Shards, as well as where everyone’s room is in relation to the lab for the Library/Headquarters so far. Need to do some more details. I don’t want to be the one that has the fan say “Hey, ____ should have turned left and not right to get to their room, remember?” LOL. And great commentary! You put a lot of thought into it. And yes, I put in a cliff-hanger:) Get ready for another in Shards:)
Good thinking on the backgrounds and shadows, Dave! The classroom looks very bright and cheerful – definitely different from the outside scenes. But there should totally be more READ posters 😉
I think I know you mean.
Er, botched that. Should be “the one you mean.” Sorry.
Super georgie to the rescue!
diversity, a happy reunion, and a comic book nerd.
When I wished for a happy story in the next couple pages because of all the downer-stuff, this is above and beyond what I was hoping to fill the bill with. Kudos to you, sir!
I see a lack of well Mainstreaming. Also Selkie would be attending speech therapy, even I still have the lisp but I had to go, this was back in the 90’s. Also a lot of third grade teachers with names that hard to say normally give a second name for the kids.
My brother had to go to speech therapy in elementary school too. :/ The only speaking problem he had was being a little stuffy-nosed sounding because of allergies, but what can you do really?
Although I did want to mention you bring up a good point with the teacher’s last name. :/ When I read that, I myself thought of “Mrs. Affie” for some reason. XD I apologize, I just figured it was somehow worth mentioning.
Yoohoo! 😀 Somebody nice to her finally! 😀
Love the details in the background, like the multiplication chart!! It real;ly makes it look more like a classroom!
Not to nit pick but if Mrs. Afkhami is supposed to be a hijabi, it’s not quite right. I know your drawing style is a little more simplistic and angular but it just doesn’t look right at all to me. The way you have the hijab drawn wrapped around her it would not expose her neck like that. The fabric would fall much differently. Just as a simple reference to some of the basic styles: here Plus a quick image search on the web of “shayla wrap” or simply “hijab” or “hijabi” will reveal much guidance in how to draw a variety of different styles. I’m not complaining so much that her neck is exposed (although I could if I wanted to) just that the wrap is inaccurate.
I’m glad to see a Muslim character in a comic, and I’m REALLY glad to see her portrayed as just a regular person (as the vast majority of us Muslims are) it’s just a little off-putting seeing the hijab drawn wrong. But maybe that’s just me personally. Please take my comments into consideration. Thank you. (sorry for being a little long winded here)
Mine had a nature reserve! 8D
BRITISH FTW~
Also good thing about the desks.
I used to slam my fingers in mine ALL THE TIME.
IN YEAR SEVEN. (dunno what that equates to in amerdeeca though. xD)
Mine was right on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park! School nature rambles were, er, challenging.
But between them, the teachers and the Blaenau Gwent Constabulary Moorland Rescue Team never lost a kid!
oAo! Ours….was not that huge. xDDD
Or dangerous.
….That’s good though? XDDDD!
I really like that third panel picture..
I’m starting to get the feeling this town may be like that in Neon Genesis Evangelion where all of the candidates for the evangelions lived in the one town. This may be some sort of protected government town where special cases are sent. Might be why no-one there really seems to care about the diversity and such.
I’m glad Selkie’s got at least one true friend on her little campus. Also that accursed math poster I had memorized in first grade because I was a prude bastard. Yay me!
I missed Georgie too. Good to see him!