Contributers:

• Alaa Al Shaba
• Aliya Koishina
• Rose Chen
• Soumen Mohanty

"Ham, the first chimpanzee to explore space"

Our comics website is a tribute to Ham, the first chimpanzee to travel to outer space. Inspired by Ham's remarkable story of courage, we decided to create an epic adventure that captures his curiosity and desire to explore the unknown. Our goal was to create a captivating story that not only entertains but also educates readers about the history of Ham and his impact on space exploration. Although Ham came back to Earth and lived in zoo, we used our imagination and explored the possibility of Ham's desire to continue exploring and staying in space. This allowed us to create an engaging story that not only pays tribute to Ham's bravery but also ignites readers' sense of adventure and curiosity with this fantasy twist. We used interactivity features to allow user to engage with the main character, while being delved into a space journey :)

One of the first steps we took as a group was to brainstorm ideas for our comic's story and interactivity features. We discussed possible plot lines, characters, settings, and interactive elements that would make our comic engaging and entertaining for the audience. We also considered different ways to present the story on a web page and how to use technology to enhance the user experience.

Once we had a clear idea of what we wanted to portray, we started working on the actual content of the comic. We used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as the AI drawing application "Midjourney" and an iPad app called Procreate to create our protagonist Ham and other background arts, combining original drawings, photos and mixed media elements. We paid close attention to the composition, color, and visual narrative of each panel, making sure that the story flowed smoothly and the characters were well-developed.

We also added interactivity features to our comic, such as animations, and clickable options that allowed the audience to explore more. These features not only made the comic more engaging but also showcased the potential of web-based storytelling. By adding the feature of selecting a planet, one is also able to learn interact with Ham's journey of exploring other planets, while educating oneself about some space facts.

As we worked on the project, we faced some challenges, such as coordinating schedules, balancing workload, and learning new software features. However, we overcame these obstacles by communicating effectively, delegating tasks, and seeking help when needed.