Awkwardly Enchanted - Portfolio - Back to Year 00 - Character Design and World Building

Back to Year 00 - A Character Design and World Building Project

Back to Year 00 is a graphic novel concept.

Starting when the COVID-19 Pandemic is at its height, Zee’s life is falling apart. They had finally gotten control of their future. Graduation had come and gone, the existential crisis stemming from what to do with the rest of their life had passed too, and they had finally landed a job in a publishing agency. Then the pandemic hit. Everything closed down, people got sick, many passed away, and Zee was back at their parent’s home and back at square one. They go to sleep one night in 2020 only to wake up in year 00 where the world looks very different. Their parents are gone and the outside world is chaotic. Zee wants to go back home and tries their hardest to do so, but is it really worth the effort?

The characters include Zee (the main character), Zee’s parents, and the people Zee meets on their journey towards going back home. Zee is 23 years old, still looking for direction in life, and loves books. Zee’s parents mean well but are very overbearing, causing Zee to have stunted growth in some areas of their life. The setting includes America, now known as New America in year 00. This would be in our timeline known as 2013, a year after the world ending in 2012. The story centers around Zee and their journey finding a way back home in this post-apocalyptic world. Most people are reluctant to help because they’re still adjusting to the world themselves, every person is for themselves. Even if someone gave them a chance, it’s unlikely that they would know where to start. The theme throughout the story is that people need to have community in order to survive in the best possible way in the worst conditions. Growth will come in the weirdest ways when you have no real direction in life.