Episode #292
Episode 292: Las Pláticas: Shane Portman- SHRUB
Welcome to another episode of Las Platicas, a show hosted by Comadres y Comics, where we meet with creators and friends to talk about upcoming projects, events and all-around awesome news in the comic community. Today we’re talking with Shane Portman, someone who has spent his career telling stories across some very different mediums from sketch comedy and live storytelling to animation and now comics. Shrub , written by Shane and published by Fanbase Press, is a middle-grade graphic novel about a brother and sister dealing with the loss of a loved one while taking a cross-country road trip….with a shrub along for the ride….obviously!! At its heart, Shrub is a story about grief, family, connection, and the ways we try to move forward after experiencing loss. Additionally, the story is especially meaningful given that Shane drew from his own experience with losing his father. He’s taken something deeply personal and used it to create a story that can give young readers a way to think about grief and complicated emotions, while still leaving room for humor, adventure, and hope. With a Kickstarter for Shrub: The Collected Edition launching soon, we’re going to talk about where the idea for Shrub came from, how you turn something as complicated as grief into a story for young readers, and why sometimes the best way to talk about difficult things is through a story that is a little bit strange, a little bit funny, and ultimately very human. Welcome, Shane!
