Cookbook author and Great British Bake Off 2018 finalist Kim-Joy is writing her first graphic novel titled Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship. The all-new book is inspired by Kim-Joy’s passion for baking and events from her life: working in the mental health field, her own mental health struggles, reading comics, and her desire to help others. Kim-Joy’s positive, empathetic, and vibrant personality comes through on every page and is enhanced by the inspiring illustrations of acclaimed Indonesian artist Alti Firmansyah who utilizes a black-and-white manga-influenced art style in her first full-length book. Together, with letterer Joamette Gil, designer Cindy Leong, and editors Felix Horne and Allison O’Toole, they create a powerful story that explores mental health, that feeling of not fitting in, community and, of course, baking. Turtle Bread will be released from Amazon’s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line on May 2, 2023, in time for Mental Health Awareness Month.
In Turtle Bread, a young woman named Yan who has a passion for baking stumbles upon a local Baking Club on her way home from another unsuccessful job interview. Her social anxiety tries to keep her away but the bakers encourage her to come out of her shell, especially the caring and supportive Bea. As the club bakes together, Yan discovers that her new friends may need her too, more than she realizes…
Beatrice, Yan, Amit, Zara, and Geraint make for a motley cast, each with their own individual issues and life challenges they are trying to cope with–from death, to finding romantic partners, to cancer, to divorce, to children, to keeping a job. But when Bea abruptly leaves Baking Club without a trace, they must hold it together and head out in search of answers and closure.
Turtle Bread arrives digitally in May from Comixology and in print from Dark Horse Books this fall. Turtle Bread (160 pages / b/w / on sale October 3, 2023 in comic shops and everywhere books are sold / MSRP: $19.99/$25.99 pbk / ISBN 978-1-506730981 / Dark Horse Books)
