Atavist
No. 17, Stowaway, by Josh Neufeld and Tori Marlan, is an enhanced
nonfiction e-comic that traces the 12,000-mile journey of an orphan
from Ethiopia to America.
NEW
YORK ( Sharewellnewswire.com ) September 19 , 2012 - Reporter Tori
Marlan teams up with renowned cartoonist Josh Neufeld to tell the story
of an Ethiopian boy’s daring 12,000-mile journey alone to America.
Stowaway (www.atavist.com/stories/stowaway)
follows Fanuel on his odyssey from the streets of Addis Ababa to the
deserts of Mexico through the Atavist’s immersive storytelling
technology, which includes sound, video, and interactive graphics.
Fifteen-year-old Fanuel dodges authorities while relying on complete
strangers as he struggles to find a mysterious woman in Seattle named
Sofia. This is the first Atavist story to be available for purchase on
the Web. The full mulitmedia version of the story is available for the
iPhone and iPad, through The Atavist app in the iTunes store.
Told
in Neufeld’s unique graphic style, Stowaway delves into unchartered
digital longform territory. Atavist’s software team created a custom
Comics Reader—inside The Atavist iOS app—which includes panel-by-panel
navigation, a soundtrack, and the traditional extras features for which
Atavist is known: interactive maps, timelines, and animations. It’s all
in the service of bringing the reader into Fanuel’s uncertain journey
across three continents.
Marlan
first met Fanuel in 2006 while doing research at the International
Children’s Center in Chicago, and eventually reported out the details
of his journey to the U.S. With a background in investigative print
reporting, she was new to nonfiction comics, but felt strongly that a
graphic approach would bring Fanuel’s story to light in a unique way.
Her collaborator and longtime friend Josh Neufeld is an award-winning
comics artist and author of a number of acclaimed nonfiction comics,
including AD: After the Deluge. “I think people are finally realizing
that comics is a medium and not a genre, and that you can use comics to
tell any kind of story,” says Neufeld.
Atavist (www.atavist.com)
was founded by Evan Ratliff, Jefferson Rabb and Nicholas Thompson, who
teamed up to create a publisher that would explore the new frontiers of
the digital world. “Expanding into nonfiction comics is all part of our
mission to push the boundaries of digital longform journalism,” says
Atavist CEO Ratliff. “We’re honored to have the opportunity to publish
the work of the amazingly talented Josh Neufeld and Tori Marlan.”
Neufeld and Marlan are available for:
Interviews (written, broadcast, podcast) Guest articles Live appearances
To learn more about Stowaway, visit www.atavist.com/stories/stowaway
Twitter: @theatavist
Tumblr: http://blog.atavist.com/
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