See the world from the Cyclopean perspective
Sheridan College alumna draws one of 2021’s most anticipated graphic novels
There’s a powerful illustration in Aminder Dhaliwal’s new graphic novel, “Cyclopedia Exotica”: a young Cyclops is sliding into the iris of a huge eyeball, grasping at its edges for dear life. It’s powerful stuff — and sums up both the nuance and paradox that Dhaliwal packs into her work.
It also explains why “Cyclopedia Exotica” is one of this year’s most anticipated graphic novels. Its theme — the minority experience told through the lens of Cyclopes living in a majority Two-Eye world — is a shout-out to the ageless truth that knowing ourselves is our ticket to thriving.
If you’re not familiar with Dhaliwal’s work, chances are you will be soon; she was named one of Variety’s “Ten Animators to Watch” in 2020. Make no mistake, this sui-generis writer and artist is on the move.
Speaking recently over the phone from her home in Los Angeles, Dhaliwal’s natural charm and authenticity invite engaged conversation. No ego here, only genuine enthusiasm to talk about her work and creative process.
Pretty impressive, especially given she started sketching to deflect the discomfort of being uprooted from her home in London, England, to Woodbridge, Ont., at the age of 11.
“At middle school I had to face my different identity when all you want to do is fit in,” Dhaliwal said. “It was the first time I felt being seen as not a fun thing. I’d go home after school and practise saying words without my British accent. I became an introvert and lost myself in my sketchbooks.”
Sketching became her go-to comfort zone during high school in Brampton and steered her toward the animation program at Sheridan College. Upon graduating, she landed an internship, and then a job, at Nickelodeon, which led to writing and artist gigs at the Cartoon Network and Disney TV Animation, where she also directed.
And yet, Dhaliwal still didn’t feel her voice was being heard, except for the odd time she’d get called out on a Canadian turnof-phrase.
In her off hours, she began experimenting with comic strips about a world without men. “I had been working on a pilot for an animation studio for years and couldn’t talk about what I was working on because there’s so many NDAs (nondisclosure agreements). It was so frustrating,” she says. “I had stories I needed to get out. I didn’t become an animator to work in isolation.”
In her off hours, she began experimenting with comic strips about a world without men, just as #MeToo was picking up speed.
“‘Woman World’ was my reaction (to) being hidden for so long,” she says. It became a social media sensation and went on to become Dhaliwal’s debut graphic novel.
After that comic’s success, Dhaliwal wanted to start something new. “I had introduced a world that had a big event — no men — and wanted to move on to a clean slate. I wanted to try the opposite and take the world that already exists and explore it from a different viewpoint. I began drawing monsters as pinups and liked the esthetic of the two worlds colliding. I found the dichotomy between demonized and sexualized interesting …”
Funny, not funny, and topical as all get out. Eventually her mash-up morphed into Cyclops and she ran with it.
“I was drawn to Cyclops and started drawing the pin-up with one breast,” she says. “This started way before I made the connection to race.”
Where “Woman World” is built on the relatively simple concept of a world without men, “Cyclopedia Exotica” delves into race and identity. More than merely a satire on human inability to accept differences, it’s a deft depiction of how microaggressions become macro, one comic strip at a time.
The more Dhaliwal leaned into her material, the more connections sprung up, and she liked the challenge it presented her. “In the early strips I knew where I wanted to go tonally but hadn’t completely figured out the placement.”
Starting with character outlines, she began building comic strips around her basic ideas. Instagram’s twice weekly posting format helped her flesh these ideas out and find points of entry. Eventually they clicked into a series of comic strips with recurring punchlines that form a narrative arc.
“I wasn’t thinking of narratives on a conscious level,” she says, “but did think that I wanted to craft a story where story was one of the themes.”
The intention behind every character and storyline is thoroughly thought out, with the Cyclops character names riffing on the Greek and Roman mythology where they first entered the popular story scene. Dhaliwal uses this trick to switch up ancient narratives and plant them in a contemporary landscape.
With feedback and encouragement from her online readers, Dhaliwal firmly established her Cyclops world online before shifting to publishing mode.
“When I went to print, I got to approach the comic in a new way. I could see how to rearrange placement to balance feelings out and where to reiterate particular points to strengthen the overall narrative.”
Print also allowed her to expand on her online world significantly by including an introduction with an old-school encyclopedia vibe, and an epilogue of sorts in the format of a children’s storybook. There’s also an appendix with background notes and author’s intentions that hammer home the book’s thoroughness.
These publication add-ons, with their playful colour palette by fellow Sheridan grad and hubby Nikolas Ilic, add depth to the black-and-white comic strips.
The final product by Drawn & Quarterly is a standout. With the edge printing of a Cyclops’ iris linking the artwork on both covers, it invites readers to delve into the Cyclopean perspective. The inside end pages, replete with simple “see-noevil” illustrations of both Cyclopes and Two-Eyed, slyly hint at the many microaggressions we’re all blind to.
Dhaliwal’s voice has gained traction and is moving forward. Besides continuing her daytime gig as a children’s animator, upcoming projects include her writing for the Netflix series “Centaurworld,” created by Megan Dong of “How to Train Your Dragon” fame, writing for “Woman World,” which has been optioned for a series by Freeform TV, and she’s on the creative council of Cartoon Network’s “Cartoons Cartoons,” where she gets to help fresh talent ease into the industry.
Dhaliwal now feels she’s in a place she belongs. “L.A. is the land of dreamers and rejection,” she says. “It keeps my ego in check and the creative juices flowing. I’ve found a really great community.”