ILYA Kickstarter ROMO THE WOLFBOY enters final days

Romo the Wolfboy, a 256-page full colour kids graphic novel by esteemed British cartoonist Ed ‘ILYA’ Hillyer is calling for Kickstarter backers to hit target before the clock runs out in the early hours of June 19. As of writing it has passed 60% of its target and still has around $5000 to raise.

An all-ages graphic novel with a visually distinctive style, ILYA intends Romo the Wolfboy as the origin story in a potential series about an unlikely young pair of paranormal investigators who join a travelling circus – a mute feral boy, Romo, and his friend Francis. In interview with Graphic Memoir, ILYA has described the tone of the book as a blend of “comedy drama, adventure, and a touch of mild spooky horror”.

The current Kickstarter is raising funds for a 1,000 copy print run of the already-completed 224-page story and oodles of extras – with digital options available for international backers. To manage the cost, the Kickstarter is seeking £10,800 (around $14,500). Over 60% of the target has been reached, with comic book stores in the UK also pitching in – but it still needs help to get the book over the line and to the printers.

Print rewards are currently shipping only to the UK but digital rewards (£15/~$20) are shipping internationally. Backers seeking a print edition can get it from £30 (~$40) with limited editions and retailer tiers scaling up from there.

ILYA has a pretty broad artistic career inside and outside the UK – having dipped his toes in the worlds of comics, bande dessinée and manga, working for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image and more at various points of time. He has British publications 2000 AD, Crisis, Deadline and works with Japan’s Kodansha in his curriculum vitae. Among his back catalogue, he adapted King Lear for SelfMadeHero’s Manga Shakespeare line (2009) and released the acclaimed adult graphic novel Room for Love (2014) from the same. He is a writer, artist and editor who regularly participates in judging panels – including the annual Manga Jiman competition, coordinated by the Japanese embassy in Britain.

Romo the Wolfboy is an intentionally visually experimental book that sets it apart from the current fare of kids titles which he implies has made it a tough sell to mainstream publishers. Stylistically drawing inspiration from the early decades of newspaper cartooning in the late 19^th and early 20^th century when the visual coda of the comics medium was still in flux. As such it will mix image, text and freeform illustration for a heady feast for readers young and old. He also wants the book to slot into that untapped market of kids who have loved the likes of Dog Man and are still graduating their way up the comics-reading ladder.

With the aforementioned Graphic Memoir he said:

“I’m using what I call ‘direct drawing’—raw, pencil-based lines that have a handmade, emotional intensity, an immediacy. It’s not polished but it’s huge fun to do, and should prove immersive for the reader.”