Posted in: Comics | Tagged: mel the chosen, melvina, rachel aragno

Mel The Chosen by Rachele Aragno, Chosen by Random House Graphic

Published Thu, 24 Sep 2020 04:00:25 -0500

Back in 2019, Melvina was a debut graphic novel by Italian comic book creator Rachele Aragno in Italy, then receiving translations in Spanish and French. Next summer, it will be published in English, by Random House Graphic, renamed Mel The Chosen.

Mel feels left on the sidelines by her parents, who make decisions about her future without consulting her. She desperately wants to be a grown-up so that she can be in charge of her own life. But then she meets Otto, a gentleman who has a painful secret, and who explains to her that she has a great destiny to fulfill. When she gets the chance to travel to a magical world to break an evil curse, she discovers that nothing is more dangerous than a wish come true. A journey into parallel world sees Mel discover the importance of giving herself time, of listening to her heart, and teaching Otto the real meaning of friendship. It's described as a story worthy of Lewis Carroll, told with a voice both childish and wise.

Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic bought Mel the Chosen. Michele Foschini at BAO Publishing represented Rachele Aragno for English-language rights. And, courtesy of Amazon, we have plenty of pages to show off in the original Italian, as well as the French publication cover, below.