With New York Comic Con in the rear-view mirror, creators and publishers are looking ahead to the next few years with a quintet of announcements about graphic novels that are currently in the works.
Chmakova Goes Public with Crush: Yen Press unveiled the cover of Svetlana Chmakova’s Crush this week; the middle-grade graphic novel is a follow-up to her Awkward and Brave. All three are set in Berrybrook Middle School and each one spotlights a different character, with most characters crossing over between all the books. In Crush, Jorge has been getting discombobulated whenever a certain classmate comes by, but he still has to act like one of the guys. Chmakova’s books have a similar vibe to Raina Telgemeier’s Smile and Drama and are clearly pitched at the same audience.O’Neill Goes to Sea: Katie O’Neill’s The Tea Dragon Society just came out last week (see “Preview: 'The Tea Dragon Society' HC”), and already publisher Oni Press is announcing her next title: Aquicorn Cove, a story about a girl who discovers magical sea creatures near her seaside hometown, which has been devastated by a storm. O’Neill’s Princess, Princess Ever After, an all-ages same-sex fairy tale, is now being carried by Scholastic Book Fairs. The Tea Dragon Society is done in a somewhat different, less cartoony style, and it looks like Aquicorn Cove will follow suit.
Chanani Announces Jukebox: Nidhi Chanani’s Pashmina is another fall debut book; her graphic novel about a teenager curious about her Indian roots was published by First Second in September (see “Review: 'Pashmina' GN”). She took to SyFy this week to announce her second graphic novel: Jukebox, which will be published by First Second in 2020. Like Pashmina, Jukebox centers on a magical object; this time it’s a magical jukebox that helps two Muslim cousins find the missing father of one of them. Chanani says the story is inspired by her husband’s love of music and the many conversations they have had about it. Rowell and Hicks Unveil Pumpkinheads: It’s been three years since YA novelist Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor and Park, Fangirl), and graphic novelist Faith Erin Hicks (The Nameless City) announced that they were collaborating (see “YA Author Rainbow Rowell to Pen Two GNs For First Second”), and after New York Comic Con, Rowell posted some art on her blog: The book will be called Pumpkinheads, and it will feature two high school seniors working their final shift at the local pumpkin patch. “It wasn't really intentional, but I think this is my most all-ages book,” Rowell wrote on her blog. “It's about high school seniors, but there isn't cursing or adult themes. As I was writing, I wanted it to feel kind of like The Parent Trap. Like a big fun Disney movie that an adult could really enjoy, but that would work in middle school, too. The book is due out in fall 2019. Newlevant Looks Back in No Ivy League: Hazel Newlevant, won a 2017 Ignatz Award for her minicomic Tender-Hearted, and now she’s working on her first graphic novel, No Ivy League, which will be published by Lion Forge in late 2018. No Ivy League is a true story about white privilege and racial dynamics: When she was 17, Newlevant took a job that put her side by side with black and Latino teens, and her reaction to an insult from one of her co-workers sets off a chain of consequences that awakens her to some hard realities.