From queer comic book artist to noveslist
Ren Mittal's last memory in the year 1996 is getting on a bus to visit his mystery pen pal Georgia. When he wakes up in 2122, he thinks he might be hallucinating...he's not!
Tech conglomerate Chronotech sponsors a time-travel program to help students in 2122 learn what history was really like... from real-life subjects who've been transported into the future, and Ren is one of them.
In 2122, Ren's life in the 1990s is practically ancient history—and Ren's not sure how to feel about that. On top of it all, he learns that his memory will be wiped of all things 2122 before he's sent back to the 90s. Adding to Ren's complicated feels, he's forming a crush on his student guide, Mars.
And when he crosses paths with the absolute last person he expected to see in the future, he has a bigger problem on his hands: What if Chronotech isn't the benevolent organisation they claim to be, and he and his fellow subjects are in great danger.
Chelsey Furedi brings Ren Mittal to life in her debut book , Project Nought.
Furedi is a queer comic artist and illustrator with a passion for writing romance, complicated friendships, and drawing goofy expressions. She started her career in comics during university with her online hit, Rock and Riot, before stepping into the publishing world with Project Nought as her debut. She lives in New Zealand and balances working as a background artist alongside her publishing journey.
We asked her some questions:
How did you get your start in comics? Back in the early 2010s, I felt so desperate for any form of queer representation in media. (Amazing how fast things have progressed since then!) Realising I could create what I wanted to see, I decided to work on my first webcomic. I managed to attract a good-sized reader base, all there for the same reason I was: To see characters that reflected them. One of those readers was my current agent, Jessica Mileo. She had taken notice of my work, and together we worked to pitch Project Nought as a graphic novel.
Project Nought was originally created as a webcomic, why the shift? I didn't originally consider creating Project
In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecilia Ahern, Harpercollins, $35
.. .. .. .. .. .. Irish author Cecelia Ahern made her mark when her novel PS I Love You was turned into the 2007 hit movie of the same name.
Since then Ahern has produced a string of books and become known as a writer who specialises in storylines that are non mainstream.
In a Thousand Different Ways is very different indeed. The storyline revolves around the complex Alice Kelly. She's 8 when starts seeing all those around her
Nought as a graphic novel. It was becoming more possible to earn income online, so I saw that as the best route at the time. However, the scope of the story would have taken nearly a decade to create. By starting over and working with a publishing house, I could trim it down to just a few years, and finally deliver an ending for my readers. bathed in an aura of varying colours, underpinned by their emotions.
The Dublinbased Kelly family's a dysfunctional one. Alice's father has long gone. Her sensible elder brother Hugh plays parent to Alice and her younger sibling, Ollie. When Hugh heads to university the troubled, colourseeing Alice becomes caregiver for her declining mother and the always angry Ollie. By his teens he's in jail. character to write? I will always have a soft spot in my heart for optimistic, positive characters. Even better if it's to a fault that can also be fun to explore. In terms of Project Nought - Phoebe and Mars! What was your favourite moment to work on in Project Nought? Anything involving a kiss, or an intense argument. Both involve high emotions. Arguments are so fun to write - everything the characters feel finally gets aired out in the most destructive way possible.
What does your future as a comic artist look like / Any new stories in the works?
I always have so many new stories in my head that I'm itching to develop. I have one that has a pitch in progress, but I'm forcing myself to take a long break before I dive into another multi-year project. I want to give Project Nought all my attention during its release year.
Alice's ability to see colours intensifies. She categorises people by them. When she can no longer take the stress generated at home and out of it, Alice moves to London.
On a Tube she sees a man with no colour around him. To discover why she stalks him.
In another writer's hands all this could be downright unbelievable. Not for Ahern. She's a gun with dynamic characterisation. She delves deep into the psyche.
A movie based on such a unique story must surely be in the offing. May it stay true to Ahern's originality.
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