Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1535796
1 4 P E R S P E C T I V E | M AY / J U N E 2 0 2 5 THE SUNLESS CIRCUS BEGAN WITH ARDEE, A ROBOT BOY WHO DREAMT OF RUNNING AWAY FROM THE CIRCUS TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT. AFTER SENDING THE SHORT COMIC TO STAN LEE MANY YEARS AGO, I WAS SURPRISED TO RECEIVE AN ENCOURAGING LETTER IN REPLY. THAT SPARK LED TO CREATING INCREASINGLY COMPLEX STORIES CONCERNING THE INTERSECTION OF ENTERTAINMENT, TECHNOLOGY, DECEPTION, AND POSSIBLY REAL MAGIC. THE VINTAGED-STYLED COMICS FOCUS ON CHARACTERS BEHIND THE CURTAIN, WHOSE HOPES ENTANGLE WITH GRAND SCHEMES AND THE STRANGE BEAUTY OF DREAMS SLIGHTLY OUT OF REACH. THE FIFTH ISSUE FEATURES AN ESCAPE ARTIST AND IS CURRENTLY IN THE WORKS. Chris Kawagiwa Chris Kawagiwa, Sr. Illustrator, ADG. Chris is a SoCal native working as an illustrator, storyboard artist and an occasional comic creator. His storyboards span commercials, music videos and streaming (Waffles + Mochi on Netflix). He has worked on projects for Disney, Lucasfilm, Google, Meta, American Greetings and Playmates Toys. While recognizable brands are always a delight to be a part of, Chris enjoys searching for the small-scale human connection in storytelling. Most recently stepping into creator-owned IP development with his animal astronaut crew, The Pawsmonauts. In the world of key art, Chris is a Clio Award- winning Illustrator (Deadpool 2) and an Art Director at Foundry LA, where he's helped on poster and packaging designs for Paw Patrol 2, Planet of the Apes, Willow, Kingdom of Heaven and Avatar. Other design chops include book layouts for Vox Machina Origins and Blade Runner 2049. As one-half of the husband-and-wife duo "Kit n' Rivet" (www.kitnrivet.com), he takes their crafts on the road to events like WonderCon and Bob Baker Day. In his spare time, he's a prop-making enthusiast and enjoys tinkering with tactile narrative novelties that, much like his comics, try to say something new by connecting with the past.