The Girl Who Draws on Whales, the much anticipated graphic novel written and illustrated by Ariela Kristantina, arrives digitally on September 23, 2025, from Comixology Originals and in print from Dark Horse Comics on March 31, 2026. Kristantina is well-known as the artist of the Eisner award-nominated original graphic novel Adora and the Distance, written by Marc Bernardin.
In The Girl Who Draws on Whales, Kristantina takes readers on a powerful and atmospheric journey through a lush island environment inspired by her homeland of Indonesia. With soft and beautiful colors by Sarah Stern, and letters by Bernardo Brice, The Girl Who Draws on Whales is a captivating and visually stunning story of exploration and discovery. This epic young adult adventure marks the first-ever graphic novel that Kristantina has both written and illustrated.
Blending Southeast Asian folklore with themes of colonization and the unshakable power of art and storytelling, The Girl Who Draws on Whales is a coming-of-age story about resistance, siblinghood, and believing in your voice—even when no one else does.
Kristantina had this to say about the book:
“This story is about trust. About believing in yourself. About what happens when no one else does, except the one person who always will.”
Siblings Wangi and Banyu live in a sea-village in a post-apocalyptic world, centuries after a great flood changed the face of the world. Wangi shares a mysterious bond with the whales that visit their waters and they allow her to draw on their backs. One day a whale arrives alone, wounded and adorned with strange new markings that seem to carry messages from other lost settlements. Wangi believes it’s a call for help. No one listens — except Banyu.
Motivated by this mystery, Wangi vows to investigate. Although forbidden by their parents and the village elders, Wangi and Banyu embark on a wondrous sea journey into the unknown, only to stumble into a much larger fight: one that pits ancient sea magic against a volcanic empire fueled by war, greed, and conquest. Together, they must fight to save their home.
The Girl Who Draws on Whales is a testimony to the power of stories—their uncanny ability to entertain, educate and, ultimately, unite us. Preview pages of the graphic novel can be seen below.
