Piccadilly Press bags ‘hilarious’ secret agent series by graphic novelist Burks

Piccadilly Press has acquired Agent 9, an “hilarious and action-packed” graphic novel series by movie and television show animator and author James Burks.

Ruth Bennett, editorial director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to two books from Kim Ryan, rights director at Penguin Young Readers. Burks is represented by Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Agent 9: Flood-a-geddon! will be publishing in paperback in July, followed by Agent 9: Mind Control! in October.

The publisher said the fast-paced stories follow Agent 9, a feline secret agent who is one of the best operatives at the Super-Secret Spy Service, an agency that saves the world from maniacal villains. Flood-a-geddon! sees Agent 9 stand up to bumbling supervillain King Crab and his diabolical plans to melt the polar ice caps and build a massive water park.

Burks has worked on the likes of “Bravest Warriors”, “Space Jam”, “Treasure Planet”, “The Emperor’s New Groove”, “The Powerpuff Girls”, and “The Iron Giant” and is the author of the Bird and Squirrel graphic novel series. He said: “Nine and I couldn’t be more excited for the UK release of Agent 9. It’s mission time!” 

Bennett said: “James is a master of the art of graphic novels and this action-packed seriesi s a fantastic example of the power of visual storytelling. Get ready for a wild ride! Graphic novels are perfect for making reading fun and Agent 9’s secret agent antics are guaranteed to entertain.”