Program 002
As the ice melts to Spring here, just below the arctic, quietly “Gnar Pig Imprint” begins to rise once again with it’s developmental projects…
“from the mountain to the mind.”
After a delayed start to the 2025 year (see the previous entry) production has finally resumed on finishing “Taiga,” and moving toward the next project that looms quietly on the horizon. Last year saw the completion and limited release of Program 001: Re-Genesis. Part one in the Taiga graphic novel. A testing of the waters. It was surprisingly met with more than positive reviews. I can honestly say the response was a much welcomed surprise and more than I could have ever expected.
“Taiga,” outside of expressing a vision of story, was created in an attempt at departing from my usual approach to the comic medium, both in line-on-page and expression of story. Art-house in spirit, it pulled from influences that I normal don’t visit in my day to day work. Like anything that’s completely different, you can’t predict the reactions it will illicit, especially if there is a genre of expectation.
I like to think that the best summary of the type of stories I usually create is “fun.” Action based with a bit of a humor and a wink to the reader through storytelling and energy on the pages. “Taiga” is definitely not that. It walks on the precipice of an unexplainable darkness. I had to completely change my creative mindset for this project.
It’s an attempt at being in the headspace of a character I refer to as “The Being.” An artificial organism as it grapples with the construct of it’s own existence. Delving deep into the idea of self to express a wonder of purpose and design.
Program 001 puts the reader in the perspective of the protagonist, a being in human female design, that is overwhelmed with it’s own sudden existence. Attempting to finding answers to those questions that sometimes manifest their own answers through the environs encountered.
Pausing your cosmic view for a moment, what if organic life could simply be summarized as an exertion of energy. Energy that could be programmed on a cellular or atomic level. In “Taiga’s” case re-generate an artificial mechanism of organic design. Consciousness is eventually achieved through proper sampling and modeling of said organism; homo sapiens in this case. Thus resulting in a range of emotions and responses; curiousness, questioning, fear,… rage. Through the mechanisms of its own existence a “purpose” is learned and the world is observed through its programmed objective. Given the current state of the overall planetary ecosystem, you have to ask how would a biologic resurrected from a 30 thousand year dirt-nap respond? Probably not very well, right? If I say any more in my long winded write-up here I think I’ll be spoiling it. Ultimately, “Taiga” is a question about nature of existence.
There is so much about “Taiga” that I want to delve into. I’ve put so much creative energy into the conception or at least catalyst of ideas. But I’m a proof of concept kind of guy and even though words are wonderful to hear. They tend to ring hollow. Right now you can read all of “Taiga” Program 001: Re-Genesis and the new pages of 002: Observations as they post via the Gnar Pig Imprint patreon. There is a paywall of five dollars; I know… it should be free, but its rough out here for creatives these days. If you’re old school, like myself, you’re a print kind of person. The feel of the pages between your fingers, kind of animal. There was a limited printing of Program 001 out there in wild, but during “Free Comic Book Day” the remaining stock completely sold out. I’ll be doing another print run here soon, so hold onto your butts.
A lot more is planned for this year with already some big announcements just beyond the ridge, but for now one story at a time.
Gnar, the Taiga, pig.