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Discover Mojave

"The Story of Gill" is the first
in a series of graphic novels
teaching young learners about
animals native to the Mojave.

The Story of Gill

The UNLV Public Lands Institute and the Springs Preserve have joined forces to bring to life "The Story of Gill, the Gila Monster Who Found a New Home," a new comic strip designed to help Las Vegas Valley students better understand the Mojave Desert and its animal inhabitants.

The first in the "Discover Mojave" series of online comics and graphic novels to feature animals found in our own backyard, "The Story of Gill" follows Gill the Gila monster on an adventure as he is illegally taken from the wild by a wildlife smuggler and is rescued, only to face the risk of being stolen again. The comic is based on the true story of a Gila monster taken from the desert, which went on to live at UNLV before finding a permanent home at the Springs Preserve.

Created by Paula Jacoby-Garrett and Diane Yost, "The Story of Gill" is written and illustrated by the Fillbach Brothers, Shawn and Matt, Las Vegas-based artists well known in the comic book world for their work on the Star Wars graphic novel series among other projects.

"The Story of Gill" is being presented first online in serialized episodes at DiscoverMojave.org, and the full story will be available in printed comic books at the Springs Preserve Gift Shop. The website also features natural and cultural history facts and a teacher's lounge to help instructors make curricular connections. Future comics and novels in the series will include a Gambel’s Quail, the Vivid Dancer Damselfly, a fox and a woolly mammoth.

For more information or to start reading "The Story of Gill," please visit DiscoverMojave.org.