By two Vietnamese adoptees, Bert Ballard & Jessica Emmett.
Welcome to Adopted the Comic. This short project ran from 2009-2013 and has now come to an end as Bert & Jess turn towards other projects. By popular demand, the website and Facebook page will be left up as a resource and platform for comments, but it will have very minimal activity from us. Comics can still be linked or used (more info HERE). Bert & Jess would like to thank everyone for the amazing support they had throughout the project. See our final post HERE. Jess continues to do adoption comics now and then on her new comic Stray Thoughts Comics HERE.
This was the last of 3 comics commissioned* for the Somewhere Between film documentary. Originally cut down 8 replays to 4, but after thinking about it more it was felt that all replays should be included. This is by far one my of favorite comic that we’ve done.
Everyone has a different way of dealing with these kinds of questions. For me, i’ usually the “educator”. This also very much reminds me of the WISE UP program, the idea that people ARE going to ask questions of potentially mindless things, so good to have a rough response depending on what you chose to share the information or not.
Because we had to cram a lot into this one, some people find the text a bit hard to read, you can see the text in detail by clicking the “transcript” above.
This was 2 of 3 of the comics commissioned by Somewhere between. It helped to promote their kick starter campaign especially as a lucky few who back the project will get a very very limited print run and signed edition of the comics Demographic, Language & Lucky. Help support them and help them get a wider international distribution so I can see it here in the UK =P:
Edit (Jan 2013): I finally had the pleasure of watching the UK release of the Somewhere between DVD. I gave a short interview on the bonus CD and this comic also featured. Very cool =).
It’s got to that time of year and here is our festive holiday comic =). While not inspired by, it reminds me of one of my favorite xmas films Nightmare Before Christmas =).
As a little extra we have we have made available a ecard (for personal use) friendly image great for email. It’s not everyday you’ll find an adoption themed card, i know i’ve looked =P. Click [HERE] to go to the image link.
As another little present I made live drawing video where you can see from start to finish how I drew this comic – original at Youtube: youtu.be/kBlVSYaYnGk
I guess I can’t be embarrassed about it any more… this is autobiographical =P.
Last year I did get my adoption documents and indeed there was my birthmother’s weight. I joined the gym this march 2011 mainly to help two concurring sporting injurys (ankle then knee, knee being the lasting injury) from 7 years ago. Most of the weight I’d gained was after these injuries. I actually think that part of the reason I hurt my knee was me and my husbond had decided to try and learn the first dance of our wedding with a teacher and we were moving in ways we’d never had before, and being so pumped from that we went straight into the sunshine to play basketball which is the most active I’d been since I’d injured my ankle the year before =O Thankfully I managed to stand through my wedding ceremony and DID manage our first dance routine =).
I’ve always been a “curvy” person even before the injuries, which I use to put down to genetics so I thought it was time to try and do something about it. And not to sound too corny, I’m healthier, happier & eating better… and in 4.5 months I have lost 35lb (2.5stone/16kg) and continuing to work hard on it =)
It’s not unheard of for adoptees to found out that their age or birthday is incorrect once they find info while roots tracing etc… possibly a orphanage staff or social worker has guessed when assigning a birth date. It can lead to adoptees celebrating more then one birthday.
Bert actually wrote this early in the life of Adopted the Comic and it has seen a couple of different forms, and now it can finally be shared with the world =). We thought that today would be the perfect time to post this one. Happy Valentines to all.
The first 4 panels art was inspired by an epic tail that my husbond once told me about trying to get a present for me back in the day when were dating.
As me and Bert keep finding that work is always getting in the way of of doing the comic, so apologies for taking so long to get a new one out. While I try my very best to try and get one a week, sometimes its not always possible, but never fear i’ve always got the comic on my mind ready for when i can work on it =P.
Having watched a lot of the Winter Olympics 2010 and since Bert’s Canadian, we thought we’d have a theme comic this time =). I often tell people that i never know who to cheer for in the Olympics, Vietnam? China? Hong Kong (who still have their own team)? UK? I usually just end up cheering for the underdog =P.
Art wise i had a few challenges this time. The first was drawing by hand the complete comic frames and all instead of composing on the computer. The other challenge was drawing flags… i honestly have not drawn flags since i was little… and even in school i didnt have to draw flags that much, cos trying to get kids to draw the pre-1997 Hong Kong flag is evil =P
Also you can see our little in joke on panel 3 =). We wish them luck for future medalists =D.
So to quickly get me back into the mind set of drawing i thought i do a quick one panel again =). I picked this story of Bert’s (cos i actually currently have a load of stories from) cos i actually did have to fill out some paper work like this only yesterday when i went to the dentist… but i was good and was early =P cos i knew there would be forms cos it was my first check up in 5 years o_O yeah i know bad bad jess.
