First Second - Creators - George O'Connor

George O'Connor, Journey into Mohawk Country

Sometimes while doing research for Journey into Mohawk Country I was frustrated to find that there was simply no information that existed on a topic. A case in point was the subject of Mohawk armor.

In the journals of Harmen van den Bogaert that serve as the text for Mohawk Country, there is a major episode where the three Dutch explorers are witness to a mock battle between two groups of the Mohawk, some of whom wear the aforementioned armor. This armor, made of woven twigs and cords, was discarded by the Iroquois as a group soon after their initial encounters with Europeans (as it was unfortunately not bulletproof) and, to the best of my knowledge, no examples survive.

Furthermore, no picture or drawing of Mohawk armor exists, only a few written descriptions. The closest I could find to a depiction of Mohawk armor were two rather poorly drawn early seventeenth century woodcuts of Huron armor (my sketch of one of them accompanies this text). The Huron were the Mohawk's neighbors (and longtime enemies) to the north, and shared many similar customs, as well as a similar language. Lacking any other source to go on, I drew the Mohawk warriors wearing Huronesque armor. Maybe it's close to what they actually wore, maybe it's not. It goes to show how quickly things changed for the Native Americans after first contact. No one thought to record what their armor looked like and then it was gone forever.

Some sketches of time-specific Iroquois rattles. A few of these turn up in Journey into Mohawk Country. I believe this particular selection is from New York's own American Museum of Natural History. Anytime you see an Iroquois tool or implement in Mohawk Country, there's a pretty good chance you can see the original in a collection somewhere.

These are the style sheets I made for the three main characters of Journey into Mohawk Country as I began working on the book. The first is a "before" shot, depicting Harmen, Jeronimus and Willem at the outset of their journey. The second is an "after", with the three Dutchmen showing all the wears and tears of their winter trek through what is now New York State. They've lost some things, and gained some others. These shots are the alpha and omega. Artwise, I gradually brought them from the clean cut image in the before shot to the ragged, but wiser, final image.

This is the earliest group shot I could find that I drew of the three main characters in Journey into Mohawk Country. Notice that at this stage of the project I had not yet even decided on a drawing style for the graphic novel, these characters being depicted in a much more "realistic" style than in the final book. This sketch is also from before I had completed any research on how a Dutchmen might dress in 1634 — these guys look more like New England Puritans from a century later (not to mention that they are a little too gung-ho looking). On the bottom of the page is a very early conception of the face of author and narrator Harmen van den Bogaert, barely recognizable compared to his final incarnation.

These are some sketches of the "cover that almost was" for Journey into Mohawk Country. The three Dutchmen, dwarfing a miniature Mohawk River Valley, which was actually merely the strip of hair in some sort of giant slumbering Mohawk. Thank goodness I came up with the final cover idea at the last minute, and everyone agreed there was no contest as to which was better. As my editor later remarked "we were probably being a little too clever for our own good".

Unlike the character of Willem Tomassen, who arrived pretty much intact from the start, Harmen's other companion, Jeronimus de la Croix, underwent some significant changes as I worked on Journey into Mohawk Country. Here we have assembled a smattering of early concepts; some of it works, some doesn't.

In the journal, Jeronimus comes across as somewhat accident-prone and easily worried, and as such he developed into a more comical figure than his companions in Mohawk Country. Additionally, his robust physique contrasts nicely with tall, thin Willem and short, flamboyant Harmen. There was something about this character that inspired editor Mark Siegel: he was always pushing for me to make Jeronimus "fatter, sweatier". He did indeed undergo a bulking up from these initial sketches, but I tried to keep his sweatiness to an acceptable level. I'd like to apologize to the real Jeronimus de la Croix, who may indeed have been a very svelte and sweat-free man in life.

When last we checked in on the evolution of the appearance of Harmen van den Bogaert, he looked more like a character from a Marvel Comic than Journey into Mohawk Country. This drawing represents something of a quantum leap in his design. His initial depictions were a bit distant and remote—this was my very conscious decision to give him some much needed personality. I obviously don't "feel" him 100% just yet—he looks more cocky and pompous than the final version. As I worked on this book over the months my impressions of the Dutch explorers softened and changed: originally distant, then buffoonish and pompous, and finally, to some likeable guys who were in over their heads.

Early on in the development of what would become Journey into Mohawk Country I had not yet even decided what style I would be drawing the book in, let alone the appearance of the main characters. This is a sampling of the very earliest drawings of the character of Harmen van den Bogaert, the author of the actual journal that serves as Mohawk Country's text. Harmen looks much more "realistic" here than in his final evolved stage (and more than a little comic-booky). This reveals my own initial conceptions of the book as a drier observation on the customs of the Mohawk, with the three Dutchmen regulated to largely observational roles. As I drew the characters over and over, however, personalities began to form, personalities which would help dictate the final story as it was presented in the graphic novel.

Here I am working out the bodily proportions of Harmen van den Bogaert, Journey into Mohawk Country's author and protagonist. This is pretty much the final design, as he appears in the book. But he didn't always look like this: I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that I drew him thousands of times before I ever got to this stage. Harmen is the narrator and focal point of the story, and it took a very long time to find the exact look he needed to be an engaging lead character: comical, yet serious, a little ridiculous and at the same time sympathetic.

When editor Mark Siegel told me that he was looking for some non-fiction graphic novels for the new First Second imprint, I pitched the idea of what would eventually become Journey into Mohawk Country. Using as my only text the actual journal kept by a 17th century Dutch barber/surgeon, I would fill in the gaps of his story, as they were suggested by what he wrote. Good idea, but I had to prove that I had the chops to draw what I had suggested. This four page sequence, a selection of Harmen van den Bogaert's journal entry for December 23rd, 1634, was part of my original proposal. It survives in a very similar, but expanded, fashion in the final book. It's interesting to see how boring and stilted the Dutchmen look as opposed to the Mohawk characters; At this stage in the story, I had envisioned them much more as passive observers, rather than the actual characters they would eventually become. Also, how much cooler is it to draw a bunch of Mohawk warriors than some silly looking guys with bad hats? I mean, really.

Journey into Mohawk Country takes place during the period of time between Native Americans first being introduced to firearms and their actually procuring some for themselves. Throughout the journal, the Mohawk show a keen interest in the guns that Harmen and company carry, and on several instances request that the Dutchmen fire their weapons. These are sketches of some pistols that the Dutch traders may have carried.

Some stock faces of various Mohawk and Oneida. Some of these guys are in the final book, some or not. It was nice to always have a ready assortment of Mohawk "extras" for the many, many crowd scenes I would have to draw. My sketchbooks are stuffed silly with little doodles like these.

Some examples of pre-contact Mohawk fashion. There was a lot of cultural diffusion in the early days, and I had to be careful not to depict the Mohawk and Oneida in incongruous attire. The Mohawk in particular were influenced by certain European cuts of jackets, and traded beaver pelts heavily for European shirts and glass beads, which they used to decorate their clothes.

Kinda nifty sketch of a Mohawk trader, his goods rolled up in duffel cloth and tied with a strap to his head and hands.

I like this sketch of a rowing Mohawk. Another design that I'm sorry didn't make it into the final book.

From my sketchbooks. Cool shot of a sitting Mohawk or Oneida.

While going through my sketchbooks I came across this older Mohawk, possibly a chieftain or a guide, and his pipe. I like his look. I wish that I had remembered this design while I was doing the finishes.

Some pretty cool wolves from my sketchbooks. What's that you say? There's no wolves in Journey into Mohawk Country? You're right. I had really wanted to put some in, but couldn't find a place. I practiced drawing them a lot, though, just in case.

More pages from my sketchbooks. This time, some wicked-looking clubs from pre-gunpowder times. Also a pretty neat spoon, made from some tree bark.

What would a Dutchman wear? Some typical costumes an adventurous young Dutchmen might wear in 1634. Included are prototypes of the outfits worn by Journey into Mohawk Country's three leads. Finding time appropriate outfits for the Europeans was unexpectedly difficult. Ultimately, paintings by Dutch masters ended up being an invaluable resource.