The SHHAN
A worldbuilding project centered on White Cats, Black Cats and the outsider Witch
Summary
These six comic-book covers were issued as NFTs on Ethereum in 2022. The release comprises the six covers, not the fictional world as a whole. The enlarged view preserves the stories as originally published, alongside localized reading versions.
Comic-cover release records ↗Two Species and Dummy
Drawing on the American comics, Japanese manga and animation I have loved since childhood, I wanted to create my own world. I imagined not only characters’ appearances but also their different bodies, senses, civilizations, histories and conflicts.
I began with six fictional comic book covers and short synopses, rather than published comics. Instead of completing every page, I left room for viewers to imagine the scenes between the covers and artworks.
At its center are White Cats, a white feline people, and Black Cats, beastlike black cats. White Cats are born with frail bodies; after one or two years, their eyes deteriorate and they lose their sight. They are also conceived as exceptionally intelligent beings with highly developed hearing, reflected in their long ears. Black Cats, by contrast, have large, powerful bodies.
Episode #1, Confrontation, begins with the longstanding conflict between these very different conditions of life. A fragile body does not, however, mean a powerless civilization. White Cats build organized communities and an army, finding other ways to extend their physical capabilities.
Their invention is the Dummy. A being akin to a living robot, one Dummy is assigned to each White Cat. Moving through communion with its partner, it becomes that White Cat’s eyes and strong body. White Cats ride Dummies into battle and use them for tasks requiring strength and labor. A Dummy is both a weapon and another body that makes everyday life and civilization possible.
In Episode #2, Capture It, soldiers discovering a Black Cat in the northwestern forest report their intention to kill it, but are ordered to capture it alive. Episode #3, Dummy, reveals how White Cats extend their senses and strength through a body linked to them. The conflict reaches beyond combat into captivity and research, bodies and technology.