Wika

by Thomas Day, Olivier Ledroit

Overview

Immerse yourself in the stunning steampunk Lord of the Rings-esque fantasy world of Wika, a graphic novel from award-winning artist Olivier Ledroit! A rewriting of the fairy tale genre in beautiful baroque illustrations. After narrowly escaping an uprising that claims the lives of her parents, Wika, the last of a royal line of fairies, must evade the assassins on her trail long enough to discover the secret of her lineage. Uncover Thomas Day’s first comic book story – a dark tale of magic and mystery, with fairies, dwarves, goblins and elves, in a stunning fantasy world brought to live by the beautiful illustrations of Olivier Ledroit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782768555
Publisher:	Titan Comics
Publication date:	03/17/2021
Series:	Wika
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	202 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Thomas Day, born in 1971 in Paris, is a French-language SF and fantasy writer. He has published fifteen novels since 2002. His novel Way of the Sword was adapted as a comic strip by French publisher Glénat (soon to be released in English by Titan Comics' Statix Press line), and received the Julia Verlanger Prize in 2003. He frequently mixes fantastic elements within his stories, which are characterized by a vast imagination and striking writing - as evidenced in the steampunk fairy-tale, Wika, his first comic script. A tireless traveler, he particularly likes Southeast Asia, the Rockies and Scotland. When he is not writing, he works as a collection director in a large publishing house.

Olivier Ledroit is a French comic book artist who studied for two years at the Duperré School of Applied Arts in Paris. He is best known for his work on The Black Moon Chronicles and In June 1997, he adapted the new Deadly Enemies by Philip K. Dick. He has teamed with comics auteur Pat Mills on two occasions: Sha and Requiem: Vampire Knights, for which he won the Favorite European Comics Eagle Award in 2007. Most recently he launched Wika, a series combining fairy tales in a steampunk universe, the first comic written by Thomas Day. Ledroit draws each of his boards directly in color, playing with the effects of materials and evoking his gorgeous eye for detail and luscious settings. He has been a true pioneer in a generation of authors who appeared in the early 1990s, fascinated by heroic fantasy, role-playing games and the new modern comics.

Editorial Reviews

01/04/2021

Magic, myth, and machinery meld to give an edgy steampunk skin to this European import fairy tale, which looks fabulous but leans heavily on archetypes. The fantasy opens on the bloodthirsty Prince Oberon and his ogreish followers murdering Duke Claymore Grimm and Duchess Titania Grimm. Wika, their daughter, is smuggled away and wounds she’s received are treated with a protective magic ink that blossoms into tattoos across her skin. Thirteen years later, Wika reemerges in the kingdom of Pan, which is being brutally conquered by now King Oberon, and in three more years a powerful magic erupts from her to threaten his rule. Wika resolves to become a Grand Fairy, lead the charge against Oberon and his army, and restore peace to the kingdom. Ledroit’s lush, Klimt-like artwork boasts a meticulousness that borders on dizzying, rewarding readers who linger. Unfortunately, that same attention to detail does not extend to French novelist Day’s script, which relies heavily on convenience to advance the plot and stale fantasy archetypes, with montages too often filling in for character development and relationship building. Though gorgeous to page through, the volume offers more style than storytelling substance. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Magic, myth, and machinery meld to give an edgy steampunk skin to this European import fairy tale ... Ledroit’s lush, Klimt-like artwork boasts a meticulousness that borders on dizzying, rewarding readers who linger” - Publishers Weekly

“An intriguing addition to the cannon of modern fantasy ... the art is nothing short of a masterclass” - Grovel

“Thomas Day has written a world with a vast array of characters, each of them explored in detail and given their own story.  Oliver Ledroit has done the detailed writing justice by also giving explosive detail to the words. ... unique and lovely, an adventure that will stay with you” - DC Comics News

“Simply spectacular ... [a] mixture of fairy tale sweetness and steampunk grit” - Down The Tubes

“The Most Gorgeous Comic of 2021 Is Here!” - Previews World

From the Publisher