If you’ve ever wondered why the inimitable Anne Bonny has never starred in her own comic, you aren’t alone. In fact, illustrator Kendra Wells wondered that very same thing in a series of tweets last year. Then author Sam Maggs slid into Wells’ DMs about teaming up on that exact project and now, they’re bringing their first OGN into the world. On Tuesday, Wells and Maggs announced Sirens of the Southern Seas, a fictionalized young adult graphic novel about the very real lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
Publication is scheduled for fall 2020 through Abrams Books. According to a post from Maria Vicente, Wells’ and Maggs’ agent for the project, the OGN will introduce 16 year-old Bonny, “who decides to throw expectation to the wind and set sail on her own. Pretty remarkable, considering we’re talking about the year 1715.”
According to Wells and Maggs, Sirens of the Southern Seas will also explore the alleged romance between Read and Bonny. In the early eighteenth century, they challenged the legend that having women aboard brought bad luck down on ships.
Dream it, be it pic.twitter.com/HDcFeDJx9O
— Kendra (@kendrawcandraw) March 12, 2019
ICYMI @kendrawcandraw and I are making a graphic novel about Anne Bonny and Mary Read and *whispers* it got that gAY SHIT https://t.co/dqzI6AgRgQ
— Sam Maggs (@SamMaggs) March 13, 2019
In addition to announcing the book and publication date, Wells and Vicente also shared preview panels. If you want more pirate content that isn’t Disney-based, look no further than Sirens of the Southern Seas.
