Avery Hill announces spate of graphic novel acquisitions

Avery Hill Publishing has announced its graphic novel list for 2023, featuring titles by Owen D Pomery, George Wylesol and Claire Scully. Ricky Miller acquired world rights to all three titles directly from the authors.

The first to publish is The Wilderness by Scully, a freelance illustrator based in London. Publishing in hardback on 7th September 2023, it is described as a “gorgeously illustrated journey through emotional, resonant landscapes – from personal, internal spaces to the far reaches of outer space”. 

Commissioning editor Miller said: “Claire Scully makes stunning illustrations that come both from the real world and her imagination and she creates images that deserve to be lingered over and are perfect for both the wall and the printed page. This collection of three of her books is going to be the most tactile and beautiful book we’ve ever put together.”

The second to publish is Curses by Wylesol, an illustrator, writer and designer from Philadelphia. His title hits shelves on 5th October 2023.

The synopsis reads: “From hospitals to hell to the wilderness, George Wylesol’s short stories take place in liminal spaces where nothing is as it seems; the surreal becomes real; and something is lying in wait around every corner. As our main characters navigate through corridors, passageways, and highways, they sink deeper and deeper into everyday strangeness that slips into peculiarity, creating an internal journey from normalcy to the supernatural.” 

Pomery’s book, The Hard Switch, will publish on 26th October 2023. It follows two previous titles published by Avery Hill: his debut book Between the Billboards & the Authoring of Architecture (2015) and Victory Point (2020).

His upcoming SF graphic novel follows a spaceship’s crew tackling the changes in their lives and work at the moment when they – and everyone else in the galaxy – begin to run out of fuel.

Miller said: “It’s one of the most visually striking line-ups we’ve ever had, three creators with very different art styles, but all brilliant at what they do. They’re creators we’ve worked with several times before and we were the first people to publish books by them.”