LAND OF THE DEAD

LAND OF THE DEAD LESSONS FROM THE UNDERWORLD ON STORYTELLING AND LIVING

BRIAN MCDONALD, TOBY CYPRESS

From Brian McDonald, storyteller extraordinaire, comes a remarkable nonfiction graphic novel about the art of storytelling. Wielding his massive experience from film, TV, comics, and more, Brian McDonald lays out a history of storytelling and shows the reader how the best tales tug at our truest biological instinct: the need to survive. Readers will see how different forms of survival—physical, emotional, spiritual—inform the arc of character development in a way that makes them more complex and compelling. And how plot and circumstance must then force the protagonist to meet their worst nightmare. Toby Cypress’s electric art guides the reader through the underworld, visualizing each narrative masterpiece, and bringing the ideas to life.

BRIAN MCDONALD, TOBY CYPRESS

Brian McDonald is the writer and director of the award-winning short film White Face, a sought-after lecturer and teacher, and a story consultant for clients such as Disney Feature Animation and Cirque du Soleil. His book Invisible Ink is required reading at Pixar Animation Studio. Toby Cypress grew up in New Jersey spending most of his time skateboarding the boardwalks, exploring arcades, and reading comic books. In 1997 he graduated from the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Animation and began a career in freelance illustration. He lives with his family, Gretchen, Jack, and Isabella, in Glen Gardner, New Jersey.