Kids Comics Pitchfest 2025 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Comics creators from around the world submit their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents.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.
Catch You If You Fall
The Rise Up Trilogy: Struggling with growing pains, high school best friends Hashim, Alex, and Maryam must also confront real-life issues like social justice, climate crisis, and animal cruelty. Book 1: Catch You If You Fall: To escape a prearranged marriage, a devout closeted Muslim gay teen turns to his Catholic best friend, whose sincere yet misguided efforts result in a dramatic falling-out that sets them on a painful path to self-discovery. Alongside these two boys is Maryam, a headstrong Muslim girl who bucks her traditional roots by becoming a vegan activist. Since the Rise Up Trilogy was self-published as an eBook and paperback in 2023 and audiobook in 2024, it has received more than 170 reviews (in Amazon+Goodreads) with 4.6 avg.
Age Range:
Young Adult (approx ages 13+)Genre:
BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Own Voices, Realistic Fiction/Slice of Life, Social-Emotional, Social IssuesPage Count Estimate:
140
My Why:
I’ve been fascinated by Islam since my early teens when I had a chance to get to know the North African Muslim community in Paris. Then in my thirties, it was Sufism that encouraged me to look beyond western philosophy and to become a writer. But the most profound experience with Islam I got when I was writing about Alex’s unexpected conversion to Islam, Maryam’s gradual rediscovery of her faith and how Islam can serve as a source of strength and inspiration as we move towards a more just world. I had no agenda for the trilogy, but somehow it manages to reflect all the important themes I cherish. I hope that with the help of the engaging illustrations by Fatahna, this story will find its way to the reader’s heart as it did to mine.
Henrik Wilenius
Henrik is a former Finnish young businessman of the year disillusioned in his worldly pursuits who returned to university in his thirties to study philosophy. Provoked by Aristotle’s Rhetoric, he found himself writing End of Restlessness (WSOY 2001), a philosophical study into his own coming-of-age. Later he switched to English and started working on the Rise Up Trilogy which was inspired by his fifteen-year stint as a volunteer in a Red Cross Youth Shelter and his journey into veganism.
Fatahna
Fatahna is a young Muslim illustrator from Indonesia who is a passionate comic artist specializing in character design and visual story telling.
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