Kids Comics Pitchfest Showcase
Comics creators from around the world submit their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents. A panel of judges (click here to see the juror list) select the top pitches. Projects are archived here so that industry pros may view them and discover new talent.
Holland to Alabama
A graphic memoir based on the author's complex relationship with his grandfather, Gerard. Drawing from Gerard's journals and the author's childhood visits with him, it tells Gerard's larger-than-life story, beginning with his youth on a farm in Holland. It chronicles his journey from serving as an "inmate" in a Catholic boarding school to enlisting as a pilot, from learning to fly scrappy planes over Singapore to becoming a POW under the Japanese army. By learning about his past life, the author must reconsider who his grandfather truly was and why he formed his tough exterior.
Age Range:
Young AdultGenre:
Adventure, Biography, History, Memoir, NonfictionPage Count Estimate:
160
My Why:
Growing up, I knew only small parts of my grandfather's story. I knew he lived an incredible life impacted by World War II, spent many years in Holland and Indonesia, and was a pilot and prisoner of war, but it was always difficult for me to talk to him. Based on my grandfather's diaries spanning a 70-year period, this book is my way of telling his story using his own words, and also my attempt to better understand the person I never got to fully know.
David Bruggink
David Bruggink is a graphic novelist and product designer living in Portland, Maine. Growing up in the greater Washington, D.C. area, David spent lots of time in museums and reading Tintin and Asterix. In college he studied Mandarin and communications, and after graduating taught English in France. When not drawing, David enjoys practicing his French, producing electronic music, and spending time with his family.