Via The Beat, Random House Graphic will publish “The Moth-Keeper,” a new graphic novel by K. O’Neill, the award-winning creator of “The Tea Dragon Society.” Intended as the first in a trilogy, the fantasy comic will follow Anya (pictured below left), a fennec fox girl who has become the new Moth-Keeper, the sworn guardian of the magical moths that help her desert community survive the cold nights. “However, her courage and self-worth are tested by the vast, shadowy expanses of the moonlit landscape, and in spite of her determination to serve the village, her heart begins to dream of a life in the sun.”
O’Neill told The Beat, “I’ve loved working with the RHG team while creating ‘The Moth-Keeper,’ and I can’t wait for readers to experience a new direction in my work. I hope that it will feel familiar in some ways (it’s packed with everything I love to write and draw!), with a new art style giving me the chance to explore and develop the characters and themes with depth. It’s a very special book to me, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.” The book marks the New Zealand-based cartoonist’s first announcement since coming out as non-binary (pronouns: they/them) late last year.
Whitney Leopard, Senior Editor at RH Graphic, said, “Working with K. on ‘The Moth-Keeper’ has been a dream come true. Everyone at RHG has been of fan of K.’s work for years and their artwork continues to make our heart ache just as much as it makes us smile. Getting this opportunity to help them bring these all-new beautiful worlds to life is something we are thrilled to be a part of. ‘The Moth-Keeper’ is an amazingly sweet and touching story about Anya. She wants to be useful to her village and to everyone she cares about but also is curious about the world she hasn’t seen. Her adventures and struggles bring to life the story in ‘The Moth-Keeper’ and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
It was not stated when the book will be released. You can check out interior artwork pages at The Beat in the meantime.
