Dark Horse imprint Berger Books has announced its newest offering – an “eco-noir thriller” from British writer-artist Warren Pleece: The Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle. The 128-page, 6.25” x 9” original graphic novel will hit bookstores August 13 and comic shops August 14, 2024 – retailing at $24.99.
The plot synopsis:
“Esta, a lonely, book-hungry, restless teen, must fight to save the planet in this eco-noir graphic novel thriller that’s part Fahrenheit 451 and part Station Eleven.
“In the devastated dystopian dust bowl of what was once America, a mesmerizing stage show called The Sunny-Luna Travelling Oracle comes to Esta’s town. When Sunny and Luna take an interest in her, it feels like her ticket out.
“But these mysterious proprietors are secretly members of a harsh authoritarian order, and they have a hidden agenda: scavenge for mythic texts that hold the last hope for reviving a natural world–and destroy them.
“Esta is the unwitting key to this strange magic, and she soon finds herself literally transported to a supernatural Wonderland–and the twisted plot of Sunny and Luna.”
Talking about the origins of The Sunny-Luna Travelling Oracle, Warren Pleece said:
“My love of the natural world and learning about the Wood Wide Web grafted to my other permanent obsession with the long dramatic shadows cast by classic film noir, finally led me to this rip-snorting eco-thriller story with more than a touch of magic.”
Editor and Berger Books head Karen Berger added:
“Warren Pleece is a master storyteller. His coming-of-age tale set in dark and daunting days, speaks to censorship, misinformation, and the emotional power of books. It will surely resonate with adults and young adult readers alike.”
Berger Books was founded in 2017 at Dark Horse by the respected founder of DC’s influential Vertigo line Karen Berger, whose critical eye saw the likes of The Sandman, Hellblazer, The Invisibles, and more make waves in the 1990s and 2000s. Berger Books publishes creator-owned titles with Karen Berger’s editorial eye and seal of approval attached. It has an eclectic mix of titles but a regular genre thread in recent years has been eco-fiction – be it sci-fi, fantasy, or horror – such as Ann Nocenti & David Aja’s The Seeds (2021); Devin Grayson & Yana Adamovic’s Rewild (2022); and Cecil Castellucci, Fabiana Mascolo & Flavia Biondi’s Shifting Earth (2022). With its first published comic debuting in 2018 (Hungry Ghosts #1 by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose et al), the line celebrated its fifth “official” anniversary earlier this year.
