Deer and me
July 2017
In this deeply personal and evocative graphic zine, I explore themes of companionship, isolation, and resistance through the symbolic presence of an imaged deer. A representation of a period when comic books and animation became a haven from misunderstanding and a source of solace, the zine offers an intimate window into my adolescence journey.
I was born in Jiangsu, a province that attaches great importance to exam-oriented education. Class rankings were always the sole criterion for defining a kid's quality for a family.
I have never done well in school. My parents and relatives long for blaming my inability to concentrate on my school study, my obsession with comics and animations have been concluded by them as the major issue of not accomplishing target marks.
The deer first entered my spiritual world when I first watched Princess Mononoke:
The deer-horse hybrid Beast God walked toward Ashitaka with flowers growing under each step of its hoof, gently kissed his cheek, he opened his eyes.
This milieu remained in my dream and encountered my residence towards my family. The deer soon became my best friend together with each time I read fiction, comics, and animation sneaky away from my parents.
Outside the school assignment and heavy homework.
I could be anyone inside the fiction, deer stands is a symbolic meaning throughout my adolescent time.
An unspoken friend from the dream of free will and residence of love.
