Press Release: Elephantom Origins (Birth of an eco-hero)

Elephantom: Eco-Hero

Introducing an old symbol to a New Era….!

Elephantom the Eco-Hero Adventures of Elephantom are fully illustrated graphics style stories for children, full of fun & adventure, but also teaching them eco-awareness in a gentle way. And this one takes the readers through themes such as spirituality, death of a family group, healing, learning, duty to ancestors and personal transformation.

I created `Elephantom’ way back in 1994, for an eco-newsletter called `Unity’ that my friend Harmony was publishing for young eco-campaigners. (I met Harmony while doing lots of fundraising for an Eco-organisation called `Environmental Investigation Agency- EIA).

The original story was just a 4-panel cartoon, but Elephantom has been living in Greeting cards (my brand) that I have sent to many family & friends. It was only last year (2011) that Elephantom was fully brought back into public eye, as part of our `Gaian Times eco-magazine’. Many cartoons were created showing Elephantom’s adventures. And then I got thinking – he needs a proper origin story. That work started in September 2011, and is now complete. Over 25+ A3 sized black & white panels. It started off as a simple story-telling but as it evolved in its own way, I realised so much of my own trials and tribulations, ideals and beliefs were seeping into it as symbolism.

Coming from a Hindu background, I honour and worship the elephant-headed god Ganesh. And I grew up reading comic books- where heroes fight villains. Well for the modern era, the biggest villainy that the world faces are ecological & environmental disasters. And so that becomes Elephantom’s main cause. I say `main’, because there is a whole lot of fun to be had with a character such as him. He’s already met Einstein, Mr Spock, put out fires of London Riots, gone for a police post interview and hosted the `Zebra’ meeting – amongst other things!

So join me in welcoming Elephantom. He’s here to stay..and he will grow.Coming soon.