Buying comics on Kickstarter can be a bit of a gamble especially if, like me, you want to support up-and-coming artists that haven’t had the chance to prove themselves before. You never know beforehand how things will turn out. So far, I’ve managed to be pretty lucky, as I’ve been satisfied with almost every project I’ve pledged to. I’ve even managed to discover a few diamonds-in-the-rough—those artists who, despite their inexperience in the sequential medium, have the raw talent required to produce a stellar debut. One such delightful surprise was Joko Budiono’s silent graphic novel, “Teddy-1.”
In Budiono’s vision of the future, massive, Gundam-style machines (or mechs, if you prefer) are used, not for war, but for emergency first responders in a world of sprawling cities full of skyscrapers. The story is structured into three chapters. The first is a day in the life of a unit of first responders as they inspect and play around with their equipment: a giant, vaguely humanoid mobile suit, a spider-like contraption with four legs, and a fighter-jet with retractable claws allowing it to take off and land like a bird, without the need for a runway.
In the second chapter, they are called to action as a powerful fire threatens to topple one of the larger skyscrapers. They leap in to action, attempting to put out the fire, rescuing survivors from the roof, and rigging a massive web to hold the crippled tower in place while they work. As it slowly begins to break free of the web, they notice a young girl still trapped inside and leap to her rescue in the nick of time. To comfort her as it falls, her savior gives her a teddy bear.
The final part of the story flashes to the future, when the little girl has grown up and leads a fire-fighting unit of her own. Inspired by the teddy bear she was given, she now handles a tame, armored bear trained to enter burning buildings and protect firefighters and evacuees from falling debris. When the bear saves another young girl, she reflects on her own rescue, and how it inspired her to create the TEDDY-1 rescue program she now oversees.
For a debut, especially, “Teddy-1” is an ambitious undertaking: 127 pages of incredibly detailed drawings of massive cities and machines, all telling a story without the aid of narration or dialogue. Each page was hand-drawn in pencil, with some finishing and coloring in watercolor. In all, it took Budiono three years to complete during his spare time, while working full-time as an art teacher in California. In the book, Budiono showcases a range of artistic ability, proving himself capable of drawing sweeping city landscapes and technical details on massive machines, as well as the more organic, emotional scenes of the people and their interactions with each other and the world around them.
It’s a story about inspiration and self-sacrifice. Inspired by and dedicated to firefighters and EMTs, it tells the story of a girl inspired by the heroism of others to pay it forward, using her imagination to improve the world. It’s also a story about following your dreams: the girl following her dream to become a first responder, just as Budiono is following his own dream of publishing his own stories. In turn, the book itself inspires its readers to follow through on their own goals and be thankful for those who are willing to help along the way.
This is the kind of project that Kickstarter is made for. A silent story is a hard sell on its own, let alone from an unknown artist, even one as talented as Budiono. By completing the book and getting the design work done in advance, Budiono was able to show pledgers the book and the interior art before they had to put any money down. It was easy to see it’d be worth the money, knowing what we’d get in return.
The book is a beautiful 7”x11” hardcover, bookended with the emblems of different units of first responders hand-drawn by Budiono himself. If you, too, wish to be inspired by this fun and moving tale, copies are available through Amazon. If you’re still not sure this is something you’re interested, I encourage you to check out Budiono’s blog to see more sample pages from the book, and watch the video from his Kickstarter page. As you’ll see, “Teddy-1” would make a fine addition to your collection.
