If you ask me on any given day who some of my favorite cartoonists and graphic novelists are, Faith Erin Hicks would be right at the top of the list. Whether it be “Friends with Boys,” “Nothing Could Possibly Go Wrong,” “Adventures of Superhero Girl” or the recent “Last of Us” mini-series, Hicks is one of those do-no-wrong artists as far as I’m concerned in that she always brings a special and specific scope of energy and light into her art that makes for a positively engrossing read.
So when I see on Twitter that she’s going to be doing a “Bone”-esque trilogy at First Second, who publisher her last two graphic novels, I can’t help but rush over here to tell you all about it.
Currently titled “The Nameless City,” we know little more than that it starts “a native of Nameless City, and his friendship with a girl whose father’s army has just conquered the metropolis.” While a “Bone” comparison is thrown in there (which is something that happens a lot, admittedly), remembering on Hicks’ body of work and looking at this description makes me think more of the “Amulet” book series, or perhaps even the recent “Battling Boy.” Hicks falls somewhere in between Pope and Kabuishi respectfully, both in tone and artistry, and the descriptor of the book also seems to feature that coming-of-age-in-unfamiliar-environment trends seen in the aforementioned works of fiction.
Regardless, it’s Hicks, so you can only expect the best. Congratulations to Hicks on the book deal and we can’t wait to see what comes from them. And well done on First Second for continuing to give an extraordinarily talented artist a home.
Update: Now with images from Faith Erin Hicks’ tumblr:
As Faith writes,
I’d been developing a story idea while I was working on Friends With Boys, something to just mess around with, and it was starting to go from something I did for fun to something I was interested in pursuing. It was about two kids in a sprawling multicultural city, one an educated member of the ruling elite, one a damaged street kid. I imagined this giant sprawling story inspired by parts of the history of the Silk Road, where commerce forced enemy nations to work side by side … First Second took one look at that pitch and was like, nope! XD
So I went away for a couple years, drew The Last of Us: American Dreams and two volumes of Bigfoot Boy, and re-developed the story from the ground up. During those years I spent a lot of time with my three favourite stories, Bone, Fullmetal Alchemist and Avatar: The Last Airbender, taking them apart and looking at what parts I liked best. In the end, it all came down to character.
Be sure to follow Faith on Tumblr for more.
