Earlier this week, Iron Circus Comics launched a new crowdfunding campaign for The Lizard Prince and Other South American Stories, the latest and final volume in the award-winning Cautionary Fables & Fairytales anthology series. Edited and organized by Alberto Rayo, Kel McDonald, and Kate Ashwin, The Lizard Prince includes eleven stories adapted from the folklore of South America. Today The Beat is pleased to present an exclusive excerpt from one of the stories, “A Girl and Her Bird,” by cartoonist Coni Yovaniniz.
Here’s how Iron Circus describes The Lizard Prince and Other South American Stories:
An all-new anthology from the acclaimed Cautionary Fables & Fairytales series, The Lizard Prince and Other South American Stories is another stunning collection of real-world fables and folktales, retold in the form of comics by an array of talented artists! Come with us on a journey across South America, where we’ll meet terrifying birds, fire-breathing chefs, cheeky goblins, and so, so much more!
And here’s a full rundown of the stories and creators involved in the anthology, which features a painted cover by artist Daniela López:
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“The Basnemporo Spider” by Brenda Argon, where a spider tries her very best to help.
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“The Myth of the Condor” by Diego Carvajal, a sweeping romantic fable about love in the stars.
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“The Ring” by Francis Francia, in which a new bride gets a little more than she bargained for.
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“The Muki’s Deal” by Rick Lazo, where we learn all about mining goblins and true friendship.
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“The Little Shepherd” by PD Loupee and Bruno Ortiz, where a brave little boy is able to find light even in the darkest places.
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“Yara” by nique, the journey of a young girl determined to control her own destiny.
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“Let Me Cook My Breakfast, Mr Caiman!” by Randal Ranpokoka, a hilarious tale of breakfasts, cooking fires and capybara!
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“Pineapple Wishes” by Luisa F. Rojas, in which a magical Palenquera teaches a young girl that history can come alive.
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“The Bum Who Tricked The Devil” by Rodrigo Vargas, in which—well, you guessed it!
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“The Lizard Prince” by Lore Vicente, an epic tale of magic, love, courage and reptiles!
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“A Girl and Her Bird” by Coni Yovaniniz, when the Tue-Tué bird comes calling.
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Based in Chile, cartoonist Coni Yovaniniz is the creator of multiple webcomics, including Postcards in Braille and the currently on-hiatus Walking to Do. Her work has appeared in a number of anthologies, including the Team Avatar Tales collection published by Dark Horse Comics in 2019.
Speaking to The Beat about the story, Yovaniniz explained more about the lore around the Tue-Tué bird:
“The Tue-tué is said to be a sorcerer who detached his head to fly and cause mischief, and its cries are a sign of death. It was really interesting to adapt this story to the perspective of a young kid—we always hear these old legends from past times, but what if we ran into them today?”
Check out the exclusive five-page excerpt from Yovaniniz’s “A Girl and Her Bird” below. The independent crowdfunding campaign for The Lizard Prince and Other South American Stories is live now, and runs until September 21st.
