Diseño de un cómic sobre leyendas y mitos de la provincia de Zamora Chinchipe

Abstract

Through the use of local tales, this project seeks to promote the culture and biodiversity of the province of Zamora Chinchipe. The objective of this website is to preserve these stories in a contemporary format, like a digital comic. A tale that could readily contain or cover all of the Amazon's representative components was chosen. More cultural allusions and emotional peaks were added to the plot to increase its impact on the audience, who is mainly composed of 16 to 18-year-olds. But it might also be interesting and intriguing for older readers. A full-color animation was inspired by the Shuar culture narrative "The Tiger Who Married a Shuar Woman," which is found in the province of Zamora Chinchipe. The fundamental plot and content of the book were kept, but new characters and enemies were added to better represent Ecuadorian Amazonian culture and fauna. In order to create an engaging reading experience, original illustrations of local flora and fauna were incorporated. Last but not least, the comic's free PDF version on digital platforms like Webcomics, Tumblr, and Patreon may make it easier to view and distribute. To develop this project, Ramón Ortega's (2016) methodology was used, which is based on three phases: inquiry, outline and validation. In the first phase, textual and graphic ideas were collected through moodboards and photographs to define the style and tone of the comic. The second phase focused on sketching characters, elements and the layout of the pages with simple lines to explore their potential. Finally, the validation was carried out with Zamorano adolescents and the approval of the university jury, identifying strengths and areas of improvement in the final product.