Club Penguin: Shadow Guy and Gamma Gal: Heroes Unite
In 2010, I wrote the script for the first DISNEY CLUB PENGUIN graphic novel, titled SHADOW GUY & GAMMA GAL: HEROES UNITE, published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. SHADOW GUY & GAMMA GAL: HEROES UNITE told the origin story of the two titular characters: who they are in their civilian identities, how they met, how they got their superpowers, how they first teamed up, etc. The story was set in the world of the Club Penguin MMO, and it featured such beloved CP characters as Gary the Gadget Guy, the Sensei, and Aunt Arctic, as well as a map of Club Penguin island. Many scenes even took place in well-known Club Penguin locales like the Pizza Parlor and the Dojo. (And for those of you who are hardcore Club Penguin fans, yes, I know that Shadow Guy and Gamma Gal aren’t real characters in the Club Penguin MMO – they’re just “roles” you can play in the in-game stage play SQUIDZOID VS. SHADOW GUY AND GAMMA GAL. That’s why the narrator of the graphic novel, Joe the penguin cartoonist, says that he “made up” the story. Technically, it takes place outside of the official Club Penguin canon.) It was so much fun writing SHADOW GUY & GAMMA GAL: HEROES UNITE, and the response to the book has been overwhelmingly positive. I lecture to audiences of all ages all over the world, and whenever I speak to a group of elementary school kids, it often turns out that at least a couple of the kids in the group have read my SG & GG book. That always feels great to hear. Elsewhere on this site, I’ll share some of the “Easter Eggs” and other obscure goodies that I’ve layered throughout the SHADOW GUY & GAMMA GAL script.