The US Book Show is kicking off on May 25, and in celebration Vault Comics and The Beat are giving you a glimpse into four of their young readers’ titles from their Wonderbound imprint. First up for Wonderbound Week is Wrassle Castle. Read a synopsis of the first book in a three-book series, entitled Book One: Learning the Ropes:
There’s only one way Lydia can save her brother—wrassling!
Lydia Riverthane has always dreamed of being a professional wrassler, the greatest of all fighters in the kingdom of Grimslade. Growing up in the shadow of Wrassle Castle, where her older brother routinely racks up championship belts, has only fueled her competitive fire. But when her brother is mysteriously arrested for treason, Lydia and her friends must find a way into the year-end tournament. There she can win back his freedom the only way she knows how…wrassling! Book 1 of the three-volume series of original graphic novels!
Written by Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin, art is by Galaad and letters are from Jeff Powell. Tobin talked about the story in a statement:
“Growing up is a collaborative effort. Even if—as in the case of Lydia Riverthane—you’ve been secretly teaching yourself bizarre new wrassling techniques in the deepest forest, fighting bears and wolves and utterly overmatched squirrels, you still need a family, such as Lydia’s parents and her brother, or her other “family,” her friends who compose the Underground Alibi Society. You need these people at the best of times, and you certainly need them when your brother is accused of high treason and you have to win a wrassling tournament to save his life and there’s a wealth of Very Strange wrasslers trying to stop you and you also you need to convince your friend Chelsea to stop dating such TERRIBLE boys and coax Dee into bringing more of those delicious cupcakes to the picnics. Whew! It’s a lot! And the only way for Lydia to pull this off is to realize that you can step out from the shadow of your friends and family, without stepping away from them.
Wrassle Castle is perfect for readers who’ve enjoyed the humor of my Plants vs. Zombies graphic novels, or the over-the-top antics of the classic One Piece comics, but want deeper and character. And Wrassle Castle is equally perfect for anyone who understands that sometimes you have to find your own path in life, and sometimes you have to wrassle one.”
Wrassle Castle: Book One: Learning the Ropes is set to hit store shelves on September 21. Get an early glimpse of some of the pages and cover here.