Wonderbound, the middle grade/young adult-focused imprint of Vault Comics, has announced their 2022 line-up of graphic novels.
The slate of nine graphic novels includes new work by Agnes Garbowska, Shea Fontana, Colleen Coover, Paul Tobin, Galaad, Sam Beck, Michael Moreci, Brian Middleton and more. It also includes several sequels to works Wonderbound will publish later this year, when their first graphic novels debut in the fall, like Verse and Wrassle Castle.
“One of our goals with Wonderbound Year 2 was to present a wide range of genre graphic novels for young readers, but what blew me away was how each of these books also showed the depth of what genre stories can be for this age group,” said Wonderbound Managing Editor Rebecca Taylor. “I have laughed loudly and cried openly while watching pages come in on every single one of our 2022 titles. The sincerity and imagination at work in this slate–whether in a story about time traveling knights, orphaned detectives, or maniacal snowmen–is truly stunning, and I cannot wait for young readers to dive in!”
Here’s the complete list:
WRASSLE CASTLE VOL. 2: RIDERS ON THE STORM
Written by Colleen Coover & Paul Tobin, drawn Galaad, colored by Rebecca Horner & Galaad, and lettered by Jeff Powell
Synopsis: Sequel! Lydia Riverthane faces more dangerous challenges as she fights for her brother’s freedom and wrassling glory.
Format: YA, 96 pages, $9.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: February 2022
POIKO: QUESTS & STUFF
Written & Illustrated by Brian Middleton.
Synopsis: Have you ever had to deliver a care package to a dragon with allergies? Have you ever been waylaid by a school of space fish? That’s just an average day for Poiko, the kingdom’s most reliable courier. The world can be a big, scary place, but it can also be wondrous. Sad things can happen, but there are always good friends to turn to, or new friends to make. And no matter what, there is always, always someone who could use your help. Poiko learns all these lessons and more every time he brushes his tail, pulls on his hoodie, and steps out into a new adventure. The philosophical whimsicality of Calvin & Hobbes meets the fantasy-scapes of Adventure Time in this modern-day classic.
Format: MG, 128, $9.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: March 2022
KENZIE’S KINGDOM
Written by Shea Fontana, drawn by Agnes Garbowska, and colored by Sil Brys.
Synopsis: Kenzie hates that her family moved to a castle to start a Medieval-themed resort, but all that changes when a time-traveling squire needs Kenzie’s help to get back home to the past! From the best-selling creative team behind DC Superhero Girls, this is a perfect read for fans of Phoebe and her Unicorn, The Baby-Sitter’s Club or Witches of Brooklyn.
Format: MG, 128, $9.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: April 2022
GHOSTER HEIGHTS
Written by Kelly Mellings & Corey Lansdell, and drawn by Lisa LaRose.
Synopsis: When Ona moves into her Baba’s apartment complex after a traumatic event, she befriends a ghost she discovers haunting the boiler room. When her new friendship starts allowing her to see other ghosts—the ghosts who haunt the other residents of her building—she decides to use her ability to help her new neighbors face their troubles and free themselves from their specters. In doing so, however, Ona must eventually come face to face with a much darker foe—her own trauma and grief. The earnestness of Judy Bloom meets the raw emotion of I Kill Giants in this beautifully hopeful story of childhood tragedy.
Format: MG, 208, $14.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: June 2022
VERSE VOL. 2: THE IRON GATE
Written & illustrated by Sam Beck.
Synopsis: Sequel! In the wake of disaster, Neitya and Fife must part ways in order to discover their own destinies.
Format: YA, 240, $14.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: July 2022
WRASSLE CASTLE VOL. 3: PUT A LYD ON IT
Written by Colleen Coover & Paul Tobin, drawn Galaad, colored by Rebecca Horner & Galaad, and lettered by Jeff Powell.
Synopsis: Final Volume! Lydia and her brother uncover that the plot against them goes much deeper than they realized!
Format: YA, 112 pages, $9.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: August, 2022
THE BROTHERS FLICK
Written by Ryan Haddock, drawn by Nick Wyche with layouts by David Stoll, and colored by Whitney Cogar.
Synopsis: At Strander House, things are…weird. There’s an ogre wedged in the closet and you have to be careful not to slip on the leak coming from the ocean in the attic. What’s possibly weirder than the fact that you can walk into the bathroom and end up in next Tuesday are the four brothers who investigate these strange occurrences…the Brothers Flick! Leo, Desmond, Remy, and Cub seek to get to the bottom of every bump in the night, every shadow you swear you saw move. If they happen to stumble upon answers to the mysterious disappearance of their own family along the way, all the better. Sherlock Holmes meets Wayside School in this Edwardian-era supernatural sleuthing graphic novel.
Format: YA, 208 pages, $12.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: September, 2022
CREEPY THE SNOWMAN
Written by Michael, Noah, & Jackson Moreci.
Synopsis: Creepy the Snowman will get you, maybe today at noon. Creepy the Snowman will get you, even on the moon. Half-melted and half-evil, Creepy the Snowman, along with his fire-breathing sidekick space chicken, seeks to destroy children’s fun, find love, and either save the world or destroy it, depending on what day of the week it is. Created and written by brothers Noah (8) and Jackson (6) Moreci, along with their father, critically acclaimed horror writer Michael Moreci, this is a book FOR kids BY kids. For readers of Dog Man, HiLo, and Max and the Midknights.
Format: MG, 176 pages, $12.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: October 2022
LUNCH
Written by Heather Nuhfer.
Synopsis: New to her middle school and terrified of navigating the cafeteria at lunchtime, Tia discovers that when she eats the same food as someone else, she can hear that person’s thoughts. Quickly, she and her new friend Leigh, realize that this power can help them fight back against the popular kids who have excluded them from their lunch table. As Tia connects with more and more of her classmates, not only does she realize that the popular kids are just as nervous and insecure as she is, but she discovers the power of creating a community through food. A perfect bridge to fantasy for readers of Smile, Awkward or Click.
Format: MG, 208 pages, $12.99, full color.
Tentative Release Month: November 2022