Grab a Torch.
The story goes like this: A 20-something bookseller/future rock-star named Dee finds a laser pointer in her missing mother’s office. It turns out Dee’s mother - a university professor - was actually a member of a secret order (The Torchbearers) fighting against a horde of demons who actively work to sabotage humanity’s quest to learn stuff. Oh, and the laser pointer is really a powerful flaming sword - The Torch of Knowledge, powered by wisdom - capable of slaying the demons that have infiltrated every area of learning and development. It is totally NOT a lightsaber…
Now, Dee is out there trying to find her missing mum, whilst fighting monsters like Gamifiend (the demon of bad gamification) and The Gatekeeper (the demon of inequality), yet struggling to keep the Torch of Knowledge powered up, due to her lack of wisdom and experience in L&D.
That’s the comic book wrapper.
But what is Hell and D really about?
If you work in Learning & Development, you know that L&D demons are real. You wrestle with them every Tuesday afternoon. You’ve felt the life drain out of you during a compliance module that looks like it was designed on Windows 95. You’ve bashed your head against stakeholders who think "training" is just a magic wand you wave to fix bad management. And you’ve fought tooth and nail for recognition in an industry that sticks its fingers in its ears whenever someone with a new face suggests a different way of doing things.
Hell and D is the headquarters for that fight.
A new chapter
You might know our Editor, Mark, from his time running Dirtyword - The E-Learning Magazine.
And while the vibes are similar, Hell and D is a different beast entirely.
Most L&D publications tell the polite, Disney-fied version of the learning industry.
Hell and D is the graphic novel where the heroes get gritty, break the rules, and tell the unvarnished truth.
We exist to shine a Torch on the darker parts of the industry. We are here to talk about:
- The Pain: Why do so many training programmes feel like a bad trip to the dentist?
- The War Stories: The battle scars earned trying to forge a career in learning.
- The Fix: Real, tactical advice from the experts on how to exorcise the demons hiding in the murky corners of the industry.
We do this with a heavy dose of comic books, movies, and pop culture. Why? Because even for those working in the industry, learning should be fun, and corporate sanitisation is anything but.
We need Torchbearers (that’s you)
Dee might be the hero of the story, but she can’t power the Torch of Knowledge alone. It runs on wisdom - something I’m sure you have in spades but maybe don’t always feel like you can share.
Hell and D is an open platform for the community. We don't care if you're a CLO with 20 years’ experience or an instructional designer on your first gig. We don't care about your job title. We care about your voice.
- Do you have a story that needs telling?
- Do you have a radical idea that scares the traditionalists?
- Do you want to vent, fix, build, or teach?
Then you are a Torchbearer.
We are always looking for new writers to help us keep the Torch of Knowledge lit and the demons at bay. If you feel you have something to say, get in touch.
Welcome to the Order.
And if you’re not quite battle-ready but want to discover how to beat those L&D demons, hit the subscribe button to be notified each time we post a new article from one of our expert contributors.
