Meet Mike Holmes, creator of My Own World!
What initially drew you to comics?
I always loved the potential of comics – that you weren’t limited by budget or resources one needs to present a visual story in a different medium, like film. If you can imagine it, you can make your dreams come alive on paper. That’s a pretty incredible art form, if you ask me.
What was your inspiration behind My Own World?
I’d been working on an idea about having to leave a place that meant a lot to you, and what we do to deal with that change, and what it might mean to return. I’d also grown up in a large family with little that was all mine, and my imagination was the easiest way to create a space that was mine, for better or worse.
What scene or panel sequence did you most enjoy drawing?
Nathan’s discovery of the lighthouse was the first sequence I had fully pictured in my head – just the idea of discovering a mysterious place, of running your hand against the surfaces and venturing further and further into the unknown. I’m fascinated with the simple, quiet wonder of exploration. It played out almost exactly as I pictured, and it was incredibly satisfying to see it as a final series of drawings!
About the Book
Mike Holmes, the artist behind the hit series Secret Coders and Wings of Fire, delivers his solo debut: My Own World, a middle grade memoir-inflected fantasy graphic novel.
Life is difficult for nine-year-old Nathan. All he dreams of is hanging out with his older brother, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, and enjoying summer vacation far away from the neighborhood bullies. When he overhears his parents talking about a family crisis, he seeks sanctuary from his troubles. In an abandoned lighthouse, Nathan discovers a portal to a berry-colored world where time has little meaning and he, finally, is in control. There, his imagination takes him on wondrous adventures, across seas and through the air, with new extraordinary friends of his own creation. In his magical hideaway, Nathan is safe from the anxieties of his life—but can he bring himself to face the real world?
