The 20-year old writer of ZEEP and all the Continent contains, Nolan Cross takes his inspiration from the widest variety of stories, most prominently ‘The Lord of the Rings’, ‘Twin Peaks’, and the filmmakers Lars von Trier, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Stanley Kubrick, and David Lynch. Video games, classic literature, and the real world are all in addition fundamental to the development of Zeep as a genre-blending, operatic fable of duality. Nolan’s ultimate goal is to be a filmmaker, and bring his ideas to life in a movie trilogy, or limited series.
He first grew up in Toronto, where he imagined fantastic stories with his oldest friend and grandmother figure, Vicki. After moving to Revelstoke B.C., Nolan worked closely with designer Benji Andringa to bring the World of Zeep to life in a graphic novel. After developing the first volume and screening the ‘animatic’ of it at the local cinema, his ambitious project has continued to evolve.
Nolan continues catching ideas for strange film projects, and will soon attend the Film Production course at Vancouver Film School.
Upon his return to Revelstoke, Nolan will dedicate himself to writing and finishing the complete ENTER ZEEP novel, in prose, with glorious illustrations.
In his spare time, Nolan enjoys drinking red wine and practicing archery (though not at the same time).
The illustrator of ZEEP’s first two volumes which were adapted as graphic novels, Benji is the creation’s chief concept artist and Nolan’s oldest project partner.
Hailing from the Greater Toronto Area, now based in British Columbia, Benji is a freelance designer under the name @lowclassart, creating everything from album covers and apparel to murals, snowboards, and editorial art.
His work blends hand-drawn detail with bold, clean design drawing inspiration from music, storytelling, and the wild landscapes around him. You’ll find his art in magazines, on city walls, and across creative projects throughout Canada and internationally.
While living in Revelstoke, Benji met writer Nolan Cross and the two began Volume One of ZEEP, a gritty, pencil-and-ink graphic novel that brought a whole new world to life. They then created Volume Two as another comic, and will continue to collaborate on future art that brings the intense visuals of ZEEP to the forefront.
