Mason confidently approached the YouthBeats stand on Saturday and gave us a copy of Mochi. All of the staff present were immediately invested. They got a detailed run-down of the comic, and were impressed with his knowledge, including his use of terms that we use on a regular, like “color palette.” Mason was speaking on a similar level to the rest of the staff, which is especially impressive for a seven-year-old.  

Mason has similar emotions as some of the staff towards making magazines as well. When asked about his favorite part, he said, “I like how when you do a specific one it just feels like a good book, it makes me feel like a real author and illustrator.” This is a feeling that can be found throughout the creation process, feeling a sense of accomplishment and validation at one’s creation.  

Mochi isn’t the end of his creations, however; what the staff saw wasn’t even the end of Mochi. We were gifted an abbreviated preview and were told to keep an eye on Amazon for a possible full version in the future. Mason’s plans don’t stop at a full version of Mochi though, when asked about his plans for the future of the comic he said he wanted to make, “A series that has like five books in the series, I think Mochi will defeat the Ender Dragon and will start building a mansion, and in case that won’t fill all five books, Mochi will make another mansion.” Clearly, Mason has big dreams, and the staff is looking forward to seeing them play out. 

You can check out the same preview the staff got to see below.