Posted in: Comics | Tagged: bezkamp, Jen Hickman, Lion Forge, Samuel Sattin

Bezkamp: Samuel Sattin and Jen Hickman Launch New YA Graphic Novel at Lion Forge

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2019 15:47:45 -0500

Last updated Fri, 29 Mar 2019 15:48:02 -0500

Lion Forge has announced a new original graphic novel to be published under the Young Adult imprint, Roar, from Glint writer Samuel Sattin and artist Jen Hickman. Bezkamp is set for a release in October, and is announced in conjunction with WonderCon this weekend. While this new series pledges to be enjoyable for readers young and old, the characters in Bezkamp won't be able to enjoy it, as it takes place in a land where writing is forbidden. How do they get their clickbait comic book news fix then?

The press release describes the concept further:

In the village of Bezkamp, laws, land, rituals, and warriors are sacred. The written word is banished. Nem, son of one of Bezkamp's strongest warriors, shows no signs of fire or strength. Forced to follow in his father's footsteps, Nem must venture beyond their village walls in order to save land from being corrupted by the dangerous and toxic Crig beasts. As Nem begins to see more of their planet, he'll begin to uncover the truth behind the village's lies and start to fight for truth.

Sattin has this to say about it:

Bezkamp is a story about curiosity. It's also a story about secrets, and what happens when people try to destroy their collective sense of history with brute force. Working on this book with Jen Hickman has been an absolute dream; not only is their art phenomenal, but the genius amount of detail and specificity put into it allows for layers of narrative to reemerge upon subsequent reads. There are a lot of layers to this story, a lot of possible meanings, and I'm excited to see readers interpret it their own way.

And Hickman said:

Drawing this book was an adventure! Sam is an incredibly supportive, enthusiastic collaborator, and together we've created something really unique. Lion Forge's books are imaginative and expansive, and I feel like Bezkamp is exactly that. I'm very excited for readers to get to delve into the world that Sam and I have created.

One more quote from this dialog-heavy press release? Okay, this one from Lion Forge Editor-in-Chief Andrea Colvin:

Sam Sattin's prolific imagination is on full display in the compelling and immersive world of forgotten space colony Bezkamp, a society in which written language is outlawed and history is forgotten. Jen Hickman's incredible images bring this unique world to explosive life—the pages teem with freakish creatures and steampunk-like inventions, kaleidoscopic landscapes and characters at once surprising and familiar.

Bezkamp will hit comic shops and bookstores in October, so you can pick your copy then… but don't get caught with it if the written word is banished in your town.