Dendō
Dendō is a graphic novel missionary diary written by Brittany Long Olsen while she was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Japan. It is the first published missionary diary in graphic novel form,[1] and won the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) award in 2015 for best comic.
History
Olsen drew in her journal every day on her 18-month mission to Japan. Olsen says that keeping a journal helped her cope with the "raw and emotional" moments.[1] When she returned, she scanned all 600 pages, added shading, and replaced her handwriting with a font she made from her handwriting.[1] After being rejected from traditional Mormon publishers as too niche, Olsen self-published through CreateSpace. The L. Tom Perry Special Collections at Brigham Young University purchased her original artwork for their 21st-century Mormon art collection,[1] which was on display at their "Comics and Mormons" exhibit.[2] Olson donates ten percent of the proceeds from CreateSpace sales to the LDS church's missionary department.[3]
Criticism and awards
The graphic novel won the Association for Mormon Letters (AML) award for comics in 2015.[4] AML called the book a "wonderful blending of the modern missionary narrative mixed with a traditional comic style, humor, and feel-good moments."[4] Deseret book reviewer Jeff Peterson said the book was a "joy to read" for Olsen's "optimism, self-deprecating wit and ability to always find the spiritual silver lining."[5] Theric Jepson at Dawning of a Brighter Day said that Dendō was thrilling because Olsen "captured the day-to-day drag that makes up the most exciting eighteen (or twenty-four) months in a young Mormon’s life."[6]
References
- ^ a b c d Mann, Court (13 March 2016). "Former missionary illustrates EVERY mission day in graphic novel "Dendo"". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ Swensen, Jason (29 September 2016). "'Comics and Mormons': Colorful, interactive exhibit at BYU". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ Christensen, Megan (22 November 2015). "Former LDS missionary creates graphic novel based on experience". KSL.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ a b "2015 AML Award Winners". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ Peterson, Jeff (21 August 2016). "Book review: 'Dendo' shares Mormon missionary's experience in graphic novel". Deseret News. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ Jepson, Theric. "Thankful for Five". associationmormonletters.org. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved 19 January 2017.