Macey Cargo

Hello!

Hello, everyone! My name is Macey. I grew up in Kapolei, but due to circumstances, went to Kalei'opu'u elementary school from kindergarten to 4th grade. It was there and, in the Kapolei Public Library where I found that really enjoyed reading comics and wanted to make my own. So, ever since then, I've been drawing my own comics and gradually improving my craft. During the latter part of elementary, I was transferred to Kapolei and ended up graduating from Kapolei High School in 2020. Once I graduated, I went straight to UHWO and have been going here ever since. If I were an artist's tool, I would be a stylus. It represents my roots in traditional art (since it looks like a pen and that's what I used to draw my comics with), and it also represents my transition to digital art, which is currently my forte. A stylus is also versatile in the types of digital brushes it can use, which is something I always strive to be.

Research Topic: Webcomics and Cross-Cultural Influence

Research Question: How has cross-cultural influence affected webcomics?

Abstract:

Webcomics are a prime example of cross-cultural and technological influence on the comic artform. It is because of the artform’s rich history that webcomics have become a culmination of both new and old comic creation techniques. The Golden Age of American superhero comics helped globalize the artform. This led Japanese cartoonists like Osamu Tezuka to revolutionize manga (Japanese comics) through the use of dynamic and cinematic camera angles to heighten emotion. Then the digitization of manhua (Korean comics) led to the creation of highly profitable webcomic sites like WEBTOON, platforming comic creators from around the world. Through the examination of multiple comics from different cultures and mediums, webcomics have been shown to hybridize and innovate comic creation techniques to thrive on a digital platform.

Capstone Project: Web Comic

Project Title: Floaters of the Pacific

Capstone Proposal:

Cargo_CM 489 - Proposal Presentation Template

CREATIVE PROCESS:

The concept of creativity has come a long way. The Old Greeks would call those creative forces muses, other religions referred to them as God. Today people still mostly treat creativity as an aha moment outside the area of influence. However, just by looking at the creative process one can tell, that creativity and creative work is more than just that one "Aha-Moment" (insight). It is clear that generating ideas demands planning and preparation, identifying something of interest like a problem, an opportunity or a challenge, doing research. This then leads to thinking of a solution, allowing time to incubate and iterations before arriving at something “complete.” Students learn that hard work is what makes their ideas come to life and sticktuiveness is what helps them get better.

DELIVERABLE:

Macey dove into the evolution of comic art and emerged with a stunning original webtoon: Floaters of the Pacific. 🌊✨ Rooted in her research on the global and technological forces that shaped modern webcomics, her project traces how American superhero comics, Japanese manga pioneers like Osamu Tezuka, and the digital rise of Korean manhua all converged to redefine the artform. Floaters of the Pacific brings this history to life—blending cinematic storytelling, cross-cultural visual techniques, and the unique pacing of vertical scrolling. It’s a love letter to the hybrid nature of webcomics and a bold step into the future of digital storytelling.

Catch the first few episodes now! Floaters of the Pacific.

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