The Golden Age, Book 1

by Roxanne Moreil, Cyril Pedrosa (Illustrator), Cyril Pedrosa

Overview

A medieval saga with political intrigue reminiscent of Game of Thrones, The Golden Age is an epic graphic novel duology from Roxanne Moreil and Cyril Pedrosa about utopia and revolution.

In the kingdom of Lantrevers, suffering is a way of life—unless you’re a member of the ruling class. Princess Tilda plans to change all that.

As the rightful heir of late King Ronan, Tilda wants to deliver her people from famine and strife. But on the eve of her coronation, her younger brother, backed by a cabal of power-hungry lords, usurps her throne and casts her into exile.

Now Tilda is on the run. With the help of her last remaining allies, Tankred and Bertil, she travels in secret through the hinterland of her kingdom. Wherever she goes, the common folk whisper of a legendary bygone era when all men lived freely. There are those who want to return to this golden age—at any cost. In the midst of revolution, how can Tilda reclaim her throne?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250237941
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	02/11/2020
Series:	The Golden Age Graphic Novel Series , #1
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	197,400
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Roxanne Moreil is a bookseller as well as a collaborator in a myriad of cartoon-related projects. She is a member of Maison Fumetti, a comics collective based in Nantes, France, and with Cyril Pedrosa she is the co-creator of Éditions la vie moderne, where together they publish art by creative duos that is inspired by the work of great painters. The Golden Age is her first graphic novel, co-written alongside Cyril Pedrosa.

Cyril Pedrosa was a huge comic book fan during his childhood and adolescence. After studying at GOBELINS, a renowned animation school in Paris, he worked for Disney, where he created artwork for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules. Later, he met writer David Chauvel, and together they created the Ring Circus series for publisher Delcourt. His books include Three Shadows, Heart at Sea, Equinoxes, and Portugal, among others.

Editorial Reviews

11/11/2019

This sumptuous, epic fantasy from Moreil and Pedrosa (Portugal) unfurls its detailed European-style feudal world drenched in glowing, jewel-like colors; each setting has its own palette of royal purples, misty greens, or autumnal red and gold. The death of a king leaves his kingdom up for grabs, and Princess Tilda, the chosen heir, is forced to flee from a coup with a handful of loyalists. Wandering in exile, she explores the far corners of the kingdom, meeting monastic nuns and bickering peasants, experiencing prophetic visions, and learning of a lost talisman of power and a legendary book about, yes, a golden age. Though constructed from familiar fantasy and fairy tale elements, Moreil’s approach uses the battle between royal heirs to develop a large cast of characters from all walks of life, building a world layered enough to feel real, yet magical enough to transcend reality. The flowing, subtly abstracted art suggests a combination of medieval tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, and Chinese scroll paintings. Every page is gem-studded: ancient forests, bustling city squares, lavish castle interiors, sweeping landscapes. Previously published online in four languages, this ambitious series is poised to join Jeff Smith’s Bone and Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet as an exemplar of high fantasy in graphic form. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Listed in The Beat's most anticipated graphic novels for winter 2020

"Instead of binge-watching Game Of Thrones one more time, journey to a new medieval fantasy land with The Golden Age, a magnificent story of palace intrigue and social uprising by Cyril Pedrosa and co-writer Roxanne Moreil." The AV Club


"The art, coupled with beautiful pacing, rich world-building, and strong characterization, makes for an immersive adventure sure to please the high-fantasy crowd."—Booklist

"The story is a wicked blend of historic, postmodern, and cross-genre sources put together to present a contemporary critique of war, and the storytelling is just as sophisticated." —Comics Beat

From the Publisher

02/21/2020

As Princess Tilda prepares to assume the role of the ruler of the kingdom of Antrevers following her father's death, a group of Lord's launches a coup and seize the throne. Accompanied by a loyal knight, Tankred, and his companion Bertil, Tilda escapes and begins a search for sanctuary and the means to take back her birthright. This captivating and lavishly illustrated epic fantasy adventure follows Tilda and her companions as they encounter a large cast of characters culled from every socioeconomic demographic in the kingdom. A group of women living in a mysterious community dedicated to the idea that no person should live in servitude to another briefly provide sanctuary, peasants living under the cruel rule of the usurpers offer insight into the harsh realities of the feudal system, an aging Lord desperate to protect his home reveals the location of a mysterious treasure that might be the key to reclaiming the kingdom. VERDICT Debut writer Moreil joins cocreator Pedrosa (Portugal) on this first chapter in an ongoing series that is filled with enough intrigue, magic, and mystery for an entire saga. Pedrosa's background working as an animator for Disney is clear in the fluid, expressive figures he renders, and his coloring gives each page a staggeringly impressive, vivid glow.—Tom Batten, Grafton, VA

Library Journal