Writer Jennie Woods, artist Dozerdraws, and Maverick present
At a camp for troubled youth, two lifelong friends reckon with the tragedy that bonds them, the futures they’ve jeopardized,
and the sacrifices they’ll need to make to become the people they truly want to be.
Mavericks’ Original Young Adult Graphic Novel Hits Shelves May 1, 2023
Maverick and Mad Cave Studios are pleased to announce Paper Planes, an original graphic novel from writer Jennie Wood and artist Dozerdraws, publishing May 1, 2023.
Summary: High schoolers Leighton Worthington and Dylan Render have always been inseparable, but when they’re both shipped off to a summer camp for troubled youth in the aftermath of a tragic event, their lifelong friendship is put to the test.
Neither ‘chose’ to be there, but they’ll need a positive evaluation from the camp to avoid being sent away, so they can continue attending high school with their friends.
The challenges of camp pushes the once-inseparable Dylan and Leighton onto personal journeys of self-discovery that force them to re-examine the incident that threatens their futures, explore the friendship they have shared for so long, and discover the type of person each of them truly wants to be.
For creator Jennie Wood, the Boston-based creator of the critically acclaimed, award-winning Flutter graphic novel series, Paper Planes offered a cathartic and powerful chance to reflect on a tragic childhood friendship. “Paper Planes has been a gift,” they said. “The project gave me the opportunity to explore an intense grade school friendship soon after I found out that a close childhood friend of mine passed away. Grade school friendships have a unique place in our lives, I think in part because those relationships rarely survive the transition to high school. This story is about that more innocent time, the time right before high school, right before everything changes.”
Both Wood and Dozer Draws are nonbinary, and drew from their own experiences in bringing a nonbinary protagonist’s journey of self to the pages of Paper Planes. “This book allowed me to write my first non-binary character while I was coming out as non-binary,” Wood said. Dozer Draws hoped that the book could offer strength to younger readers. “As a nonbinary creator, Paper Planes is what I would have loved to read during my teen years. I am more than happy that I could help in bringing this emotional and very personal story to life.”
Edited by Erica Schlutz and lettered by Micah Myers, Paper Planes is slated for release May 2023 and is now available for pre-order from Maverick now.
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