Paving the way for a new story in an original graphic novel, A Sparrow’s Roar will debut this October thanks to Boom! Studios’ Boom! Box imprint. Made by Filipino creators C.R. Chua and Paolo Chikiamco, the story delves into a wonderful world of a knight-in-training as she carries the legacy her sister left behind.
Elena of Esterpike is the revered commander of the most famed warriors in all the land— the legendary Lions of Esterpike. But when disaster strikes, it is her sister Per, a mere knight-in-training, who must gather allies in the face of an enemy even the Lions could not defeat. Together with the help of Elena’s second-in-command Amelia, Per takes on the role of her perfect older sister as she travels to the capital city to rally the troops and convince the generals of their neighboring city-states to provide aid against the oncoming horde. But she’ll have to stay on her toes as the poisonous intrigue of the court tears away at her secret identity and makes it that much harder to build the forces necessary to fend off the coming invasion.
C.R. Chua is an artist and illustrator who is interested in themes of identity, self-realizations and friendship. She has worked for BOOM! Studios as a colorist and artist on titles such as Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Regular Show. She also illustrated the story Humanity in the Philippine National Book Award-nominated comic anthology, Mythspace.
“I’m excited to finally share A SPARROW’S ROAR with the world. At its core, it’s a story about brothers and sisters, about filling the spaces they leave behind, and about the power of a stubbornly awkward cog to wreck the most meticulously designed of machines,” said writer and artist, C.R. Chua. “I also love drawing ladies in armor very, very much.”
Paolo Chikiamco is a Filipino writer of prose, comics, and interactive fiction. His prose has been published in anthologies such as The Sea is Ours and the Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction, and his interactive wrestling novel Slammed! was released by Choice of Games. He has also served as a judge on multiple occasions for the Graphic Literature category of the National Book Awards in the Philippines.
“The women in my life have always been what society would dub as ‘strong’—but they were always simply women to me, and strength just an innate characteristic. Tina and I wanted to tell a story with a cast of women warriors, in a setting where they’d be notable for their skill rather than their sex,” said co-writer, Paolo Chikiamco. “With A SPARROW’S ROAR, we hope we can immerse readers in such a world… and then make them fear for its survival, of course.”
Stay tuned for more news here on Gaming Trend.
Elisha Deogracias is an aspiring accountant by day, freelance writer by night. Before writing for Gaming Trend, he had a small gig on the now defunct Examiner. When not being a third wheel with his best friends on dates or yearning for some closure on Pushing Daisies, he's busy catching up on shonen manga and wacky rhythm games. Mains R.O.B. in Smash. Still doesn't know if he's a kid or a squid.
See below for our list of partners and affiliates: