Tag Archives: ismael hernandez

Yalla! Is an Arabic Middle-Grade Graphic Novel From Oni Press for English Readers About Immigrating, Learning a New Language…and Fighting Monsters?!

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AHLAN WA SAHLAN!​ Oni Press has announced Yalla!, a middle-grade Arabic graphic novel for English readers, full of adventure, magic, and heartfelt stories of compassion and overcoming adversity from debut writer Ameen D.B. and illustrator Ismael Hernández. Telling bold stories about immigration, racism, environmentalism, and corruption, Yalla! puts readers in an immigrant’s shoes to teach literacy and empathy in unique ways—in stores July 2027!

Welcome to Yalla!, the story of Pada, who recently immigrated to a strange new place with her parents and little brother. Join Pada on her epic adventures, all while learning a new language, making friends, and fighting . . . monsters?! Pada feels out of place in her unfamiliar home, surrounded by people and places she doesn’t understand. She tries to make the best of her new home but trials await at every turn. When she encounters a monstrous bird, a hungry troll, a no-face fisherman, and (most fearsome of all) a three-hundred-foot mythical lizard monster, Pada will have to do everything she can to protect those around her and make it home safely. Told in four parts, Yalla! is an Arabic graphic novel for English readers. While the book is not in English—fear not! By joining along with Pada, readers will encounter a new place and language, all while learning a new Arabic word or phrase in each chapter.

Make new friends, battle epic monsters, and learn new lingo when Yalla! bounds into stores on June 9, 2027!

Yalla!

Crowdfunding Corner: Armored, Andy and his suit of armor return for more action and adventure

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Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing.

Armored is a spooky, supernatural comic book series about an orphan who stumbles across a mystical suit of armor haunted by the ghost who wore it centuries ago. Created and written by Michael Schwartz, Armored is illustrated by Ismael Hernandez, lettered by Ferran Delgado, and edited by Eisner-winner Chris Stevens. Issues 3-5 are now being crowdfunded by Clover Press and feature NEW covers by superstar artists David Mack, Becky Cloonan, Trevor Henderson, and Jeff Dickson. And not to be missed, Matthew Therrien continues his stunning character portraits!

Issues 1 and 2 saw orphaned teen Andy get adopted by a strange couple who lost their son under mysterious circumstances. When Andy starts at a new school out in the countryside, he accidentally discovers a haunted suit of armor and its ghostly keeper, Sir William. When Andy is attacked by the same mysterious creature that killed his adoptive parents’ biological son, Sir William and the suit help Andy defeat the monster — but the monster was conjured by someone, and they’ll stop at nothing to gain control of the armor. Issues 3 to 5 unravel the mystery of who that certain someone is and open up the world of Armored to bigger mysteries and further adventures!  

The Armored Kickstarter runs until Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 12:00 AM EDT.

Exclusive: Get a Look at Armored #2’s variant cover by Jeff Dickson!

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Screenwriter Michael Schwartz is making his comic book writing debut with Armored, a spooky, supernatural comic book series about an orphan who stumbles across a mystical suit of armor haunted by the ghost who wore it centuries ago. Created and written by Schwartz, Armored is illustrated by Ismael Hernandez, lettered by Ferran Delgado, and edited by Eisner-winner Chris Stevens. The five-issue comic book series features covers by artists Jae Lee, Nick Pitarra, Chrissie Zullo, Scott Kolins, Matthew Therrien, and Jeff Dickson. The project is being crowdfunded on Kickstarter by Clover Press.

Meet orphaned teen Andy, whose parents mysteriously vanished years before he was adopted at the outset of our story. When Andy starts at a new school out in the countryside, he accidentally discovers a haunted suit of armor and its ghostly keeper, Sir William. When Andy is attacked by the same mysterious creature that killed his adoptive parents’ biological son, Sir William and the suit help Andy defeat the monster — but the monster was conjured by someone, and they’ll stop at nothing to gain control of the armor. 

Sir William must train Andy to use the armor properly — not just to defeat the other creatures being summoned by the mysterious antagonist, but also to defeat an even more dangerous other-worldly being prophesied to return to Earth and take the suit of armor for its own kind. As he faces off against more and more horrifying monsters, Andy will need to learn to look within himself to find the strength to overcome his own demons in order to save the Earth. But this mystery may be bigger than just Andy and his suit…

We’ve got an exclusive look at the variant cover for Armored #2 by Jeff Dickson and get a look at more art from the first issue of Armored! Check it out below then check out the project and support it!