Lorelei Carrier

The Witch’s Apprentice: A Graphic Novel

I started drawing when I was nine years old, and since then the one thing I’ve always wanted to do was make a comic book. I grew up reading manga and comics, and those filled me with the desire to create one of my own. After numerous (albeit hilarious) failures over the years, I’ve finally created a comic for my Senior I.S. My comic tells the story of a young woman named Bee who wants to work in fashion who becomes the apprentice of one of the most popular designers in the world. But, Lilly, the designer and Bee’s long-time creative idol, is not everything she appears to be. Throughout the story, Bee deals with her personal and familial relationships, who she can trust, and learns things about herself that she never would have guessed were even possible.

My comic, The Witch’s Apprentice is inspired by Japanese anime and manga. While anime describes the style of animation art I draw in, manga is the medium with which I am using that style. Manga is the Japanese equivalent of comics (or graphic novels), with the definition literally translating to “whimsical pictures”. To complete this project I read many manga books to familiarize myself with the medium, and I researched comic theory to help me understand how best to create a comic and communicate an idea effectively. I also learned how to better use certain comic conventions such as speech bubbles, varying viewing angles, and panel transitions. Overall, I believe I have made a successful first attempt at creating my comic. While this volume is presented as the first part of a two part series, I hope to complete the entire story sometime in the next year or two. These characters have become very dear to me, and I hope you enjoy them and the story as well too.

Lorelei Carrier ‘19