Leroy Tito
Into The Dark
https://leroytito.myportfolio.com/
Into The Dark
Into The Dark follows the story of Ihaia, a teenage boy dealing with the anticipatory loss of his mother. Ihaia's mother has been battling cancer, and he must figure out how to deal with his new emotions and create a path forward for his life. Into The Dark aims to give insight into the effect of Grief and depict themes of loneliness, depression, love and loss. The comic also functions as a tool for displaying how to overcome Grief to let others know they are not alone and that these periods of sadness can be overcome.
This practice-led research project explores the concept of Grief through the medium of comic storytelling. Into the dark is a story about a Māori teenage boy dealing with losing a loved one. The project explores these notions through the use of digital illustrations to delve into the main character's perspective of Grief. The project is based on my own personal experiences with Grief and is a visual representation of my journey of losing a loved one. The project uses the reflective approach of autoethnography in conjunction with the methods of visualisation, narrative writing, and digital illustration to create the final outcome, the 28-page comic book Into The Dark. The project was designed to support people who have experienced Grief. It is aimed at teenagers going through the grieving process and aims to help them by creating a sense of familiarity, letting them know they aren't alone. The narrative focuses on family support and the emergence of hope through dark times. Grief is an experience everyone will have to deal with at some point in their lives, but it is not something that has to be dealt with alone.
