The creator of a graphic novel will do a book signing at Coles in the LloydMall on Aug. 27.
Mark Allard-Will’s book called Siegfried: Dragon Slayer is now available and the writer will be on hand from noon to 5 p.m. this Saturday.
The promotional material comes equipped with a video trailer to draw readers into the quest of young Prince Siegfried as he seeks to win approval from his parents, the monarchs of Denmark.
Allard-Will says his book is a reimagining of the Völsunga Saga, which is the Norse mythology that inspired Tolkien to write The Hobbit. The story is also the inspiration for Richard Wagner‘s The Ring Cycle.
Allard-Will says he is telling this story to get people familiar with the original sources, in a way that is easily accessible to readers, especially as he likes comics and graphic novels.
“I found an artist, Jasmine Redford, who does these beautiful illustrations that are painted by coffee, and that really had this medieval dark ages tome or tapestry look to it. And I just felt like we were on to a winner with this. That it was something that would really connect with fantasy fans, mythology fans and just readers in general,” he says.
The graphic-novelist has been writing comics since 2015 and his overall writing career goes back to his university days in the 2000s.
He says the format has fostered a diverse readership. “I’ve found that kids over the age of 10 really connect with it. I’ve also found that fantasy fans in general connect to it. In fact I’ve just seen a huge swath of all age ranges. It’s not really something that’s been narrowed.”
For his next project, the creative is delving into some declassified World War II material to unearth “a slightly dramatized retelling of Operation Oblivion – the story of some Chinese Canadian men, who despite their second class citizenship, volunteered to fight. They were dropped behind Japanese lines and their efforts saved two thousand allied prisoners of war.