Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Agent, graphic novel, HarperAlley., Megrez Of The Great Above

Maria Capelle Frantz Auctions Megrez Of The Great Above to HarperAlley

Maria Capelle Frantz has successfully auctioned off her new middle-grade graphic novel, Megrez of the Great Above, plus an untitled work to Andrew Arnold at HarperAlley.

Pitched as The Witch Boy with a sprinkle of Stardust and a touch of environmentalism, Megrez of the Great Above is the story of a young star spirit that falls to earth to live as a human, only to discover that the isolated village she lands in is fraught with fear of all things unfamiliar. She learns to hide her differences and make friends, until the town finds itself on the brink of collapse. To survive, she'll have to learn how to be herself again.

Maria Frantz is a cartoonist, illustrator, and animator currently living and working in Portland, Oregon. Much of her work focuses on using fantasy and surrealism to explore relationships and human nature. Her stories tend to explore representation and gender roles, and aim to expand the limitations of the labels we carry with us throughout our lives. In 2015 she was awarded a national gold medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, for her short comic "Death Wish". In 2017 her poster "The Golden Door" was chosen to be a part of Hank Green's Refugee Poster Project, alongside 15 other artists. Prints of artwork inspired by the refugee crisis were sold on dftba.com to help raise money for refugees in the United States. The project raised over $70,000. Her debut graphic novel, The Chancellor and the Citadel, was published by Iron Circus Comics January 2019.

Publication of Megrez of the Great Above is set for the winter of 2025. Maria Capelle Frantz' agent Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary did the deal for world rights.

HarperAlley is a graphic novel imprint launched from HarperCollins Children's Books under the direction of former art director and acquiring editor at First Second, Andrew Arnold last year, described as a "collaborative, creator-focused publisher" that will specialize in graphic novels for "readers of all ages." The new line is "looking to publish books that readers of all ages can enjoy, from the youngest readers to teens and adults. We believe that a good story is a story that any reader can relate to. That's what we mean when we say "readers of all ages." HarperAlley is looking to publish about ten books a season, or about thirty books a year and is one of a number of mainstream book publishers that has been rapidly increasing the number of graphic novels for younger readers.

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