Graphic Fiction and Cultural Inheritance: Float by Janice Liu

Graphic fiction occupies that elusive, in-between space in the imagination where story meets art. Often, it becomes a perfect portal into the speculative. Realism can easily slip into the surreal, via art, panel by panel. This is certainly true in “Float” by Janice Liu, which appears in Augur‘s issue 1.3.

In “Float,” Essie encounters a spirit while visiting her aunt in Hong Kong. The chance sighting opens up questions about her family’s Chinese-Canadian identity.

Below, Janice shares a behind-the-scenes peek into the process of creating “Float,” alongside early sketches of the piece.

Sketch of Essie

 

”While writing “Float,” I did some research online to find out more about burning paper money. I was struck by the irony of me learning about my own culture by going on Wikipedia and reading articles written in English, by Westerners for Westerners.

I ask this question a lot when creating art about my experiences: how do I, as a privileged Western-educated Chinese person, engage with traditional practices from my heritage culture without Othering my own people of origin?”

 

 

“When navigating the differences in values that the second-generation-Chinese diaspora have with our families, it’s tempting to lump the beliefs of our parents, grandparents, and older relatives into one category: traditional Chinese culture. But the fact is that there isn’t one monolithic Chinese culture—our family members represent a diversity of beliefs and experiences dependent on geography, age, upbringing, and so much more.”

 

 

“My story tries to interrogate these ideas a little. There’s a scene where Essie’s Chinese-Christian father, having studied abroad, describes the practice of burning money as superstition, then turns around and talks about the Western conception of Heaven as a truth. I wanted to explore these differences in perception and theology, and the difficulty in trying to grasp at one narrative.”

 

 

“I owe thanks to my editor Amy for helping me to decide on the story title and to edit the dialogue to better represent these themes. I also want to thank Augur for reaching out to me to create this comic, and carving out a space for me to tell these stories!”

Read Issue 1.3 for the full story.

LOVE THIS POST?

Help Augur grow by participating in our Subscription Drive! We’re looking for 75 new subscriptions by November 30.  Click the banner below to see the perks & discounts we’re offering!