Kalimat Group Opens up a World of Comic Book Fun for at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2017

Kalimat Group, one of the leading publishing houses in the region, has announced the launch of its new ‘COMICS’ imprint, which specialises in publishing various kinds of comics in Arabic, including graphic novels, manga, and much more.

The new comics, launched during Sharjah International Book Fair, and included the title from Leila Abdelrazaq ‘Baddawi’ which tells the story of Ahmed, who was raised in a refugee camp and is one of the thousands of Palestinians who were forced to leave their homeland after the 1948 war. In her captivating narrative, Razzaq explores her father's childhood in the 1960s and 1970s from the point of view of a boy whose world collapses. By contrast, Vera Brosgol’s title ‘Anya’s Ghost’ relates the story of Anya, who makes a new and unlikely friend with the ghost of a girl who fell down a well a century ago.

‘Heart and Brain’  from Nick Seluk explores the interplay between the heart and the mind in our everyday lives, contrasting our mind’s impulse to wake up early and go to work, and our heart’s desire to stay at home and indulge in materialistic pleasures.

Joe Sugg’s graphic novel ‘Username: Evie’ is about a father's quest to help his daughter overcome her insecurities by creating a virtual world that allows her to escape from reality. Evie finds herself transported to a new and promising world, until her devious cousin Mallory discovers it and causes trouble in paradise.

Another new comic is ‘The Shadow Hero’ by Gene Luen Yang, which revolves around a hero who resolves crimes and fights for justice like any other hero of comic stories; however, this masked hero and his cape hide much more than just a secret identity.

‘Pyongyang’ by painter Guy Delisle is an illustrated novel about culture and life in North Korea's capital Pyongyang, which is one of the last of the totalitarian societies in the world.

The final new comic is Faith Erin Hicks’ ‘Friends With Boys’, which centres on Maggie, who after years of home schooling moves to high school and finds it a shocking experience, from new friends and changing family dynamics, to the ghost that is chasing her.

By translating international comic books into Arabic and making these titles more widely available, COMICS aims to expand the knowledge of Arab readers by introducing them to the art of comics while also providing comic book enthusiasts with an opportunity to enjoy their favourite works in Arabic.