Check out SCAD alumna Amanda Semler’s senior thesis: ‘Yeti or Not Issue 1’
“Yeti or Not Issue 1: The Yeti of Thun Mountain” is the first issue of a new series by independent comic creator and recent SCAD Atlanta alumna, Amanda Semler. Semler, who graduated in 2018, produced the 22-page issue for her senior thesis, and then self-published a limited print run with variant covers by fellow SCAD Atlanta alumni Logan Hendry, Julia Hagerty and Anderson Carman. The story follows adventurer Sylvianne Bordeaux and her quest for revenge against all Yeti-kind. Accompanied by her dog, Fifi, and the former olympian Yannick Cariget, she crosses the Alps searching for Yetis to exterminate.
In the interests of fairness, I must admit that the creator is a personal friend, so this review might be biased. However, I do genuinely believe “Yeti or Not Issue 1″ is a interesting story with a lot of potential to explore in future issues. As this is intended to be a limited series, there are a lot of questions left unanswered by the first issue. Questions arise over Yannick’s backstory and the origins of the yetis, and how yetis are perceived in society outside of Sylvianne’s quest for revenge. I wish Semler would show the backstory elements in flashbacks rather than have the characters explain it to each other in dialogue. However, the dialogue is charming and the character motivations are clear — the story ends with the promise of more exciting things to come. The comic might benefit from an internal monologue from Sylvianne to give the reader a clearer idea of her thought processes.
The art style is deliberately rough and unpolished, adding a layer of gritty realness to the adventure the characters are undergoing. Semler makes excellent use of drybrush and crayon inking effects to render the Alps, and the heavily textured Yeti fits into the landscape perfectly. The human characters look somewhat inconsistent — with Sylvianne’s nose and face changing shape practically every panel — but because there are only two human characters with significantly different designs, this doesn’t affect the reading experience significantly. The climactic scenes are appropriately dynamic, delivering the visual payoff the reader deserves.
As a first issue in a series, “Yeti or Not Issue 1” introduces the reader to an interesting world and promising characters. I look forward to seeing where this story goes. The first issue can be purchased from Semler on her tictail page here.
