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Haggarty and Brockbank’s “Mezolith” to get US publication, new adventure in works

By John Freeman on October 26, 2015

Mezolith, the much-praised, award-winning graphic adventure created by performance storyteller Ben Haggarty and storyboard artist Adam Brockbank, first published in The DFC comic, is to get a US publication through Boom! Studios imprint Archaia – and Ben tells us this new edition brings publication of a second adventure just a little closer.

Set 10,000 years ago in what will eventually become the east coast of Britain, Mezolith tells the stone age tales of a young boy, Poika, and the members of his tribe, the Kansa. As they go about their hunter-gatherer lives, the seven stories in the book show the dangers that they face from the animals they hunt and from the neighbouring tribe, as well as relating some of the superstitions of the tribe.

Due for release from Boom! in February 2016, Mezloith – one of The Times’s Graphic Novels of the Year in 2010 – is a captivating, coming-of-age story from writer Ben Haggarty, a renowned performance storyteller who has been appointed Honorary Professor of Storytelling at the Arts University of Berlin. As you can see from the sample page below, it features lush, gorgeous art from illustrator Adam Brockbank, a storyboard and concept artist who has worked on the Captain America: The First Avenger, Spider-Man and Harry Potter films.

The series was well-received after running in The DFC, particularly on its hardback collection release back in 2010 (you can read Jeremy Briggs review here), and it’s great to hear its getting a new outing that could, at last, lead to further adventures.

This new edition is in a different format to the original bande dessine format used for the original DFC Library version – the page size will be slightly smaller – and features a new cover, originally created for the French edition, published by Soleil.

“It should be a lovely production,” Ben tells us. “We’ve corrected a few typos and given it endpapers… But the really great news is that this brings the publication of Book Two a step closer!

“The 96 pages of Book Two were actually completed several years ago but until now had not found a publisher,” he reveals. “We hope that publication will follow swift on the heels of this republication of the first book.”

• The first volume of Mezolith from Archaia in February and is being advance solicited in November PREVIEWS

<br /> Mezolith Volume 1 Hard Cover
Publisher: Archaia, an imprint of BOOM! Studios
Writer: Ben Haggarty
Artist: Adam Brockbank
Cover Artist: Adam Brockbank
Format: 6.875” x 10.25”, 96 pages, FC, HC
Price: $24.99
ISBN: 978-1-60886-699-1
On sale: February 2016

<br /> Mezolith Volume 2 Hard Cover
Publisher: Archaia, an imprint of BOOM! Studios
Writer: Ben Haggarty
Artist: Adam Brockbank
Cover Artist: Adam Brockbank
Format: 6.875” x 10.25”, 96 pages, FC, HC
ISBN: 978-1608868315
On sale: 13th September 2016

• Ben Haggarty Official Site: http://benhaggarty.com

• Adam Brockbank Official Site: http://adambrockbank.com | Adam’s “Mezolith” Feature

• There are more sample pages from the story here on Ben’s web site and on Adam’s web site here

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.