Difference Engine is proud to present the digital launch of The Makers Club: Game On!, the first book in a new graphic novel series that aims to inspire kids to explore STEAM topics and maker culture. We will be launching the book together with a line-up of free online talks and workshops. Get the chance to learn more about maker culture, comics creation, climate change comics, and more!
The Makers Club: Game On! Digital Launch Events will run from June to September. The creators of the graphic novel, Reimena Yee and Tintin Pantoja, will lead the talks and workshops alongside other creators and experts. Read on to find out more about the exciting line up we have planned for you!
The Makers Club: Game On! features a group of fun and diverse characters who embark on creative journeys to experiment, code, and develop a maker mindset.
The graphic novel is available in print and ebook formats.
Pre-order with Closetful of Books from now until 30 June and receive:
- special price of $15 (regular price $18)
- a set of character bookmarks
- printable digital posters
- and early access to interviews with game industry professionals.
Click here to pre-order now.
Session 1: Help! I can’t stop drawing!: Life as a comics creator
Date: 14 June 2020, Sunday
Time: 3pm – 3.45pm (UTC +08:00)
Talk and Q&A
For ages 16 and above.
Sign up at: bit.ly/TMC1DL1
Registration is free. Click here for the Facebook event page.
What is a day in the life of a comics creator like? Does a comics creator draw all day? How does a writer keep thinking of new stories? And, just how long does it take to plan and research for a graphic novel?
Reimena Yee, writer of The Makers Club: Game On! and co-founder of Southeast Asian comics collective UNNAMED, will answer these questions and more! Learn how the prolific comics writer and illustrator got started in her profession, and why she keeps doing what she does.
Session 2: Let’s frame it another way: From prose to comics
Date: 28 June 2020, Sunday
Time: 11am – 12pm (UTC +08:00)
Workshop
For children aged 7-12 with accompanying parents/guardians.
Sign up at: bit.ly/TMC1DL2
Registration is free. Click here for the Facebook event page.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, does that mean words become unnecessary in a comic book? Discover how Tintin Pantoja, comics illustrator of graphic novel The Makers Club: Game On!, combines images and text to develop a comic!
Participants will reimagine their favourite stories in the comics medium and learn a different way of telling stories. Tintin will be demonstrating how images and text can work together through a live sketching session, along with exercises that the audience can follow along.
Session 3: The Makers Club: Game On! Book launch: Meet with Reimena Yee and Tintin Pantoja
Date: 12 July 2020, Sunday
Time: 3pm – 3.45pm (UTC +08:00)
Talk and Q&A
This is a family friendly event for children and adults alike.
Sign up at: bit.ly/TMC1DL3
Registration is free. Click here for the Facebook event page.
Join Difference Engine on launching The Makers Club: Game On! This graphic novel talks about video-game creation and fandoms through a group of fun and diverse characters. They embark on creative journeys to experiment, code, and develop a maker mindset. Set in Southeast Asia, The Makers Club is written by Eisner-nominated Malaysian creator Reimena Yee and illustrated by Philippines-born comics artist Tintin Pantoja.
In this digital launch, Reimena and Tintin will share more about the characters in the story, their creative process, and what creating The Makers Club means to them. Get the opportunity to meet and talk with the creators, and find out more about the book!
Session 4: Comics for climate change: A comics workshop
Date: 26 July 2020, Sunday
Time: 11am – 12pm (UTC +08:00)
Workshop
For children aged 7-12 with accompanying parents/guardians.
Sign up at: bit.ly/TMC1DL4
Registration is free. Click here for the Facebook event page.
Find out how animals in Southeast Asia are affected by global warming and climate change in this guided workshop by ecologist-journalist Debby Ng and illustrator Darel Seow. The duo will unearth lesser-known animals in the region that have had their habitats and lifestyles affected by global warming, and show participants how to draw simple characters based on native Southeast Asian animals. At the end of the workshop, participants will also conceptualize and create a simple comic story about climate change!
Session 5: You don’t need to know how to code to be a Maker: A comics workshop
Date: 9 August 2020, Sunday
Time: 11am – 12pm (UTC +08:00)
Workshop
For children aged 7-12 with accompanying parents/guardians.
Sign up at: bit.ly/TMC1DL5
Registration is free. Click here for the Facebook event page.
Anyone can be a Maker – the key is not coding, but problem solving! Learn how fun and creative problem solving can be as illustrator Tintin Pantoja and Saad Chinoy from Engineering Good talk about maker culture and how creative problem solving can be found anywhere. Illustrator Tintin Pantoja will guide participants on how to draw simple characters and create a one-page comic using characters from The Makers Club.
Session 6: Draw it, fold it: A zine-making workshop
Date: 23 August, Sunday
Time: 11am – 12pm (UTC +08:00)
Workshop
For children aged 7-12 with accompanying parents/guardians.
Sign up at: bit.ly/TMC1DL6
Registration is free. Click here for the Facebook event page.
Love video games and arts and crafts? Want to learn how to make zines for you and your friends just like Nadia does in The Makers Club? In this zine-making workshop, illustrator Vann Law, an experienced zine creator and video game enthusiast, will be leading workshop participants in making a zine of their own. Participants will create a zine about their favourite video game while creating their own foldable, eight-page zine using illustrations, comic elements, and just one single sheet of A4 paper!
Session 7: Let’s talk comics: Which comics are best for the classroom?
Date: 6 September, Sunday
Time: 3pm – 3.45pm (UTC +08:00)
Talk and Q&A
For ages 16 and above.
Sign up at: bit.ly/TMC1DL7
Registration is free. Click here for the Facebook event page.
Comics have been used both in and out of the classroom as a teaching resource by many. They are a good tool to engage students and children, especially when they are spending time at home. But what type of comics are best and how to use them effectively?
Using her expertise as a bookseller, Denise Tan from Closetful of Books, will be discussing comics and how they can be an effective learning tool in the classroom. Attend this talk to find out more about comics with engaging content that both educators and parents have found useful in the classroom.
View the full line up:
About The Makers Club: Game On!
Timid artist Nadia is in awe of her new teammate. Priya’s a gamer, she’s smart, and she knows how to code—so this environmental video game they’re building should definitely win the top prize at the Pangolin Secondary School Science Fair, right? But Nadia and Priya soon discover that there’s a lot more to making a game than coding and sprites. Will they be able to overcome their differences or will it be game over for them far too soon?
• Friendship and creativity come together in The Makers Club: Game On! to inspire kids to explore STEAM topics and maker culture!
• This graphic novel’s bonus content includes interviews with programmers and artists in the game industry for a closer look at the process of video game creation.
• Set in Southeast Asia, by creators from Southeast Asia.
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The graphic novel is available in print and ebook formats here.
