Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Aaron Bagley, Agent, Duel, graphic novel, Jessixa Bagley

Simon & Schuster Beats Ten Others To Win Jessixa & Aaron Bagley's Duel

Eleven publishers were after Duel, the debut middle grade graphic novel by husband-and-wife team Jessixa Bagley and Aaron Bagley.

Published Thu, 02 Mar 2023 08:58:22 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Fight fight fight! Eleven publishers were reportedly after Duel, the debut middle grade graphic novel by husband-and-wife team Jessixa Bagley and Aaron Bagley, along with an unnamed second project. Kendra Levin at Simon & Schuster beat out the others at auction and Duel is planned to be published in November 2023.

"A rivalry between sisters culminates in a fencing duel in this funny and emotional debut graphic novel sure to appeal to readers of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale. Sixth grader Lucy loves fantasy novels and is brand-new to middle school. GiGi is the undisputed queen bee of eighth grade (as well as everything else she does). They've only got one thing in common: fencing. Oh, and they're sisters. They never got along super well, but ever since their dad died, it seems like they're always at each other's throats. When GiGi humiliates Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy snaps and challenges GiGi to a duel with high sisterly stakes. If GiGi wins, Lucy promises to stay out of GiGi's way; if Lucy wins, GiGi will stop teasing Lucy for good. But after their scene in the cafeteria, both girls are on thin ice with the principal and their mom. Lucy stopped practicing fencing after their fencer dad died and will have to get back to fighting form in secret or she'll be in big trouble. And GiGi must behave perfectly or risk getting kicked off the fencing team. As the clock ticks down to the girls' fencing bout, the anticipation grows. Their school is divided into GiGi and Lucy factions, complete with t-shirts declaring kids' allegiances. Both sisters are determined to triumph. But will winning the duel mean fracturing their family even further?"

Jessixa Bagley attended the University of Washington and then Cornish College of the Arts where she graduated in 2004 with a BFA in painting and printmaking. She's worked with publications such as The Chicago Reader, The Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Highlights. Her debut picture book was Boats for Papa in 2015. Aaron Bagley received his BFA from Cornish College of the Arts and his work has been featured in The Virginia Quarterly Review, Seattle's The Stranger, The Seattle Weekly and more. His children's book Vincent Comes Home was published in 2018 as a collaboration with Jessixa.

Their agent, Alexandra Penfold at Upstart Crow Literary brokered the deal for world English rights. Duel will be published on the 7th of November.

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