ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Aside from being an RIT lecturer, artist, and developer, Jake Adams is also the creator of HoloComix — it’s a comic book, but it’s also a hologram.
Adams first created a holocomic in 2018 but that was just the an initial product. He took two years to create his new innovation which is titled “Through the Looking Glass.”
Aside from the technical aspects of the project, Adams also hand drew and painted the illustrations before animating them.
“I would actually use the paint to make textures for the 3D models,” said Adams, “all in an effort to make things more tangible.”
The inspiration for the project came from his love of comics which he says came from his father. “I just kind of remember sifting through some of his old comics as a child and just being fascinated by the imagery,” Adams said.
When virtual reality comics came out Adams wasn’t too excited. He says that he did’t like the goggles nor felt connected to the story, even though he was immersed. So, he wanted to create a better product one that includes “diegetic space.” That’s the part of the comic book that let’s you “fill in the gap” so to speak.
“Part of my goal was to see what technologies were out there that I could utilize and hopefully bring back that diegetic space that was missing in the VR comics that I was playing with.”
His newest Holocomic is loosely based on the well-known “Alice in Wonderland.” It’s about a teenage girl named Violet who’s an orphan. Violet tries to find herself in a polarizing society, until Biggie the cat helps her figure things out.
“Through the Looking Glass” is completely interactive so you can keep yourself busy while you enjoy the graphic novel. You need a special device to view Holocomics but it’s published so folks at home can check it out.