Menagerie is a dark, Midwestern graphic novel. The writing alone took over half a decade, its scattered conception spanning over a few months previous to that. It started as an attempt to create an entire mythology for the Midwest to make the area more appealing. However, Menagerie grew into something more. The heartland merely functions as a backdrop, its sombre setting lending itself to, and echoing, the isolation of the characters.
Heavy research time was spent delving into mythology, symbology, philosophy, psychology, religion and etymology. Other things like astronomy and genealogy were prominent in earlier versions of the story, but scrapped to make Menagerie a more commercial endeavor.
To appeal to a broader audience, Menagerie in its final incarnation is very straightforward writing. Instead, the deeper, more subliminal things are hidden in the patterns on quilts, the markings on bodies, the layered meanings of names, allusions to other literature or stories (some being more blatant than others), and the manifestations of the awakened souls. The stories found within the story are compelling and hopefully encourage you to research these things on your own.
