I am SO excited to be sharing the delicious cover of my debut graphic novelThe Victors, illustrated by Beth Fuller and publishing in the UK and Australia with Walker Books on 7th May (175 days!)
I adore this cover so much, from the bi flag colours to the intricate cityscape details – and the little beetles! The Victors is all about the contrasts between Medusa’s medieval, demonic style of magic compared to Dirk’s solidly modern style, and I love how their outfits show that difference. Medusa’s armour is so cool! And her hair! Their far-off gazes really convey the past battles that still haunt them.
I hope you love the cover too! As an extra treat, here are some early pages from the graphic novel:
Beth Fuller says: “It’s been a fantastic ride collaborating with Wren and the team at Walker Books – I’ve fallen in love with this fun, quirky and sincere story of unlikely friendship, life after saving the world, and the perils of putting chainmail in the washing machine.”
And our editor Non Pratt adds: “The appetite for graphic novels among young readers is only growing and it’s a real thrill to be able to meet those readers as they turn to YA with something that brings the zeitgeisty wit and insight of John Allison’s Giant Days to an intricately conceived Cassandra Clare-esque world. The Victors adds a new perspective to slice-of-life fantasy genre that’s already so popular among crossover audiences and I can’t wait for more readers to discover the formidable combination of Wren’s imagination and Beth’s artistic talent.”
You can share the cover reveal on Instagram, and find preorder links here:
Wren James is the Carnegie-longlisted British author of many Young Adult novels as ‘Lauren James’, including Last Seen Online, Green Rising and The Next Together. They are a RLF Royal Fellow and the story consultant on Netflix’s Heartstopper (Seasons 2 and 3). They like writing stories where queer characters get to be messy, toxic and ‘bad representation’. Their bestselling title, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is being adapted by the screen by Amazon MGM Studios.
Beth Fuller is an artist from Dublin, Ireland. Accustomed to getting in trouble for drawing in school, she then decided to subvert that by going to art college, graduating from DJCAD with a degree in illustration in 2022. Now based in Copenhagen, she draws anything from concept art to comics, and is interested in art for video games and animation. She can usually be found somewhere between the wine and biscuit aisles of her local supermarket or taking bad black and white film photographs of her friends.
Read her comic The Silent City or follow her on Instagram.
Wren James 