Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: Caza, humanoids, kickstarter

Humanoids First English Publication of Caza's Arkadi & The Lost Titan

The very first English publication of Caza's sci-fi epic comic book Arkadi & The Lost Titan hits Kickstarter today from Humanoids

Franco-American publisher Humanoids is kicking off its 50th-anniversary celebration with the first-ever English publication of Arkadi And The Lost Titan by legendary comics creator, Caza, also known as Philippe Cazaumayou. Created over a twenty year stretch, Arkadi And The Lost Titan is a sci-fi epic that may not have had the English language appreciation that the work of Mœbius, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Juan Giménez have had, by stint of it not being translated into English from the original French. That changes with the Kickstarter being launched today, also the 35th anniversary of the release of Arkadi: Book 1 in France. Bleeding Cool has a little exclusive interior artwork from Arkadi And The Lost Titan to accompany the launch..

"Arkadi And The Lost Titan is Caza's longest and most complete work and it's a thrill to introduce this seminal work to a wider audience in the States," said Humanoids Publisher Fabrice Giger. "This wide-ranging saga has been stuck in purgatory for decades for technical reasons, but through a process of thoughtful and painstaking restoration, the original negative films have been salvaged and are currently undergoing a scanning and digitization process, allowing the release of this magnum opus in its entirety, and the way it was meant to be experienced."

Caza is best known for crafting otherworldly illustrations and short stories for the renowned French anthology magazine Métal Hurlant and Heavy Metal. Spanning over 500 pages, with colours by Scarlett Smulkowski and Caza, Arkadi And The Lost Titan "unfolds through visually stunning tableaux that blend imaginative landscapes with intricate detail and classic sci-fi adventure with spiritual and metaphysical exploration." But what's it actually about?

It is Earth year 10,000 of the Mass era and the Earth has stopped rotating. Half of the world is plunged into frigid night, the other is scorched by eternal daylight, and humanity ekes out survival along the border. Arkadi, the son of a warrior and a sorceress, sets out on his Trial of Purification—a series of grueling challenges aimed at weeding out the weak—but soon, a journey to find a missing Titan cyborg necessary for the planet's survival leads to the discovery of a wider world more grand, deadly, strange, and alluring than he could have ever imagined.

The Kickstarter campaign will include both standard and deluxe editions of the 8,6 x 11,4 in 528-page prestige book, as well as an all-new slipcover, exclusive Caza prints, and a collector's edition featuring a signed print by Caza. The book will be translated into English for the first time by Montana Kane. This publication marks the first time Arkadi And The Lost Titan will be released in its entirety, as an omnibus edition in any language. And they have quotes;

"Simply some of the most beautiful, most affecting storytelling ever done in this medium." —Mark Waid

"ARKADIi's every page is filled with the kind of imaginative, unique, and stunning illustrations that you will only ever find within the pages of a rare book like this. Opening it for the first time is akin to unearthing a treasure, gleaming so brightly at you that you'll have to squint while your eyes adjust to its majesty. A shelf without this book is lesser for it." —Ibrahim Moustafa

"Epic, but primal, ARKADI is the sort of imagination-bending science fiction comic you rarely see, which makes it even more sorely needed." —Mark Russell

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