manovermars

Some of you know me as Jojo, some of you know me as Vivs, and some of you don't know me at all. For the past year, @afiqpengu and I have been working on this comic alongside our daily responsibilities at Pudgy Penguins. I write for the animations, and Afiq is the cornerstone of all things Pudgy visuals (a legend). We went through countless versions trying to figure out how to tell Pengu and Polly's story. Eventually we realized the best place to start was... the beginning. So we made it a prequel. Comics were completely new to me, but not to Afiq (he's a bestseller for a reason). After work, on weekends, whenever we could find the time, we chipped away at it because we genuinely loved making it. Then halfway through, everything stopped. Last August, I suffered a brain aneurysm. I spent a month in the hospital, had three brain procedures, and went home with strict orders to stay off my phone, avoid work, and rest. All I wanted so badly was to get back to normal. Back to creating. When I eventually started work again, I wasn't sure I'd still be able to write the way I used to. But the Pudgy team believed in me, and trusted us to finish this story. Last week at San Diego Comic-Con (@Comic_Con), we finally got to share it. Watching kids sit down and read it was surreal. One girl bought Volume 1, came back the next morning after finishing it overnight, and told me she had to get the rest. That moment made every late night, rewrite, and obstacle worth it. I'm incredibly grateful to have recovered, and even more grateful to everyone who helped make this possible. Thank you @afiqpengu, @chefgoyardi, @manovermars, Charlie, Jenna, and everyone at Pudgy Penguins who supported me and championed this project from the start. We've poured a lot of heart into these books. I really hope you enjoy them.