Kids Comics Pitchfest Showcase
Comics creators from around the world submit their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents. A panel of judges (click here to see the juror list) select the top pitches. Projects are archived here so that industry pros may view them and discover new talent.
Romo the WolfBoy
ROMO the WolfBoy (a wild child about 8 years old) has preternatural abilities – speed, agility, keen senses. Alongside the mysterious FRANCIS X he investigates the paranormal: vampires, mummies, were creatures, poltergeists…
This story tells how they met, as part of a travelling circus. Rivals at first, they team up when the circus suffers repeated acts of sabotage: the elusive, giggling culprit, a life-sized doll animated by an embittered, bedridden witch (Der Golem/Jekyll and Hyde). On the way becoming the Big Top’s top draw, their destiny begins to point at greater things…
An all-ages romp: action-adventure/comedy with undertones of mild spooky horror.
Age Range:
Middle GradeGenre:
Adventure, Animals, Classics, Disability Content, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, History, Horror/Scary, Humor, Mystery, Mythology/Folklore, Neurodiversity Content, Social IssuesPage Count Estimate:
200
My Why:
I grew up on Tintin and Asterix. This free-form blend of earlier proto-comics with heavily illustrated prose proposes an experimental (yet POPULAR) narrative form from before any rules were written. Think Icon’s bestselling Graphic Guides, or Posy Simmonds.
Victorian society sidelined women and children. ROMO the WolfBoy takes revenge on recorded history. My characters sidestep limitations of status, age and gender to trespass realms they'd otherwise never move through freely – from that era’s fashionable heights to its poorest, darkest slums. Victoriana you never see: here, the countryside: in their future – America, Egypt…
This is my ‘Hairy’ Potter – savage inspiration for the wild child in the heart of every reader, young or old.
Ed Hillyer (Ilya)
British writer and artist ILYA’s books include The END OF THE CENTURY CLUB (Best Graphic Novel, UK Comic Art Convention 1997), SKIDMARKS, ROOM FOR LOVE, TIME TRAVELLER, HOW TO DRAW COMICS (in comic strip format), and Manga Shakespeare’s KING LEAR. Also, as Ed Hillyer, prose novel THE CLAY DREAMING. Resident Cartoon Historian for New Internationalist magazine, he draws on 30+ years experience. Read him in French, German, Italian, Turkish, Spanish and even Japanese. He eats too much chocolate.