Comics / Comics News

Archaia Announces First OGN for 2011, 'An Elegy for Amelia Johnson'

By The Editor
January 25, 2011 - 03:22

Following the critical acclaim and success of titles like Tumor, Return of the Dapper Men, Syndrome and Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard in 2010, Archaia is excited to announce the first title that will kick off its original graphic novel slate for 2011: AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON, written by Andrew Rostan with art by Dave Valeza and Kate Kasenow.
 
AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON (digest-sized, 5.25” x 8.25”, black and white, 128 pages, $14.95) tells the story of a young woman dying of cancer who asks her two best friends to travel across the country to hand-deliver personalized goodbye messages to individuals from her past. A moving portrait of friendship, hope, coping and loss, AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON speaks to all readers who have ever had to say goodbye to a loved one.
 
Known for delivering stories of depth, this black-and-white, slice-of-life drama continues the publisher’s tradition of putting out unique graphic novels that readers can only find at Archaia.
 
“With gorgeous art, beautiful production, and a story that anyone who has ever lost a loved one can relate to, I can’t think of a better book to kick off Archaia’s 2011 graphic novel slate than AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON,” says Archaia Editor-in-Chief Stephen Christy. “A terminal illness is definitely not your run-of-the-mill comic book fare, and I’m really proud of the positive message of love and hope put forth in this book by Andrew, Dave and Kate. I promise this will be an entirely different reading experience than any other graphic novel you’ll buy this year.”
 
With AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON, Archaia once again debuts new graphic novelists to the world. This is writer Andrew Rostan, Dave Valeza and Kate Kasenow’s first graphic novel work. Rostan, a former champion of the TV game show “Jeopardy,” even used a portion of his winnings to help produce AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON. The beautifully rendered but simple and clean style of artists Valeza and Kasenow bring Rostan’s triumphant freshman script to life and make it accessible for all readers.
 
“AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON is a story about the best of humanity; of how people need each other, love each other, live for each other,” says Rostan. “It seems only appropriate that a story about our connections is a magnificent collaborative effort.  To have people like Dave and Kate bring my words to life is an honor beyond measure. And to be working with Archaia, a publisher which not only prizes innovative graphic storytelling but also collaborates to the fullest with their talent, is the dream of any artist.”
 
Newsarama’s Jill Pantozzi raves, “It’s still early in the year but don’t miss out on [AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON]. Trust me when I say it will be named one of the best graphic novels of 2011.”

AN ELEGY FOR AMELIA JOHNSON is currently available for pre-order in comic shops (Diamond Order Code: JAN11 0937) and wherever books are sold (ISBN: 978-1932386837). It is scheduled for release in March.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12