Heartfelt, coming-of-age story with a medieval twist will debut Spring 2013 

Award-winning publisher Archaia Entertainment, known for breaking in up-and-coming comics talent like David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Royden Lepp (Rust), and David Marquez (Syndrome), is very excited to announce the upcoming release of THE REASON FOR DRAGONS, a new, hardcover original graphic novel from two fresh voices making their creator-owned book debut.

The Reason for Dragons, by Chris Northrop (colorist for Oni Press) and Jeff Stokely (Fraggle Rock), tells the story of Wendell, a high school outcast who lives a lonely, suburban existence, losing himself in books in order to avoid his distant, motorcycle-riding stepfather, Ted. When the school bullies convince Wendell to venture into the forest around their neighborhood and explore the long-abandoned Renaissance Fair grounds they all believe to be haunted, Wendell is surprised to find a man living in the barn—and even more surprised by the man himself. His new acquaintance seems the definition of crackpot, believing himself to be a medieval knight named Sir Habersham, tasked with the duty of slaying the dragon he insists is wandering the woods. But when Wendell starts hearing rumblings—and listening to Habersham’s stories—he starts to wonder if perhaps it could all be true. In a heartfelt coming-of-age story, Wendell must defy logic in order to follow his heart.

“Everything authors write has pieces of them in their scripts. How can it not? But the first one should be extra personal,” said Northrop. “The Reason for Dragons addresses what it’s like to grow up without direction, which honestly, everyone deals with. You meet people in your life that shape you. You can meet a stranger who can have a tremendous effect on your life or on your choices, how you handle problems. That fascinates me. Everyone has their own dragons to face.”

“Chris and I are ecstatic that Archaia is publishing our book,” said Stokely. “I started as an intern there, then illustrated a story in their first Fraggle Rock book, so I know the kind of attention to detail they put into their titles. We’re excited to get The Reasons for Dragons out there! I connected with the story and the characters immediately so I knew I would be putting a lot of myself into it, and Archaia was just a natural choice from there.”

The fantasy hardcover will also contain an Introduction written by Sean Gordon Murphy (Joe the Barbarian, Punk Rock Jesus) and a pin-up gallery featuring contributions from fellow Archaia creators Tom Brown (Hopeless, Maine), mpMann (The Grave Doug Freshley), and Yehudi Mercado (Pantalones, TX). Sharing color duties with Northrop on The Reason for Dragons is Andrew Elder (Batman Beyond).

“The Reason for Dragons was a favorite of ours from its original pitch,” said Archaia Editor Rebecca Taylor. “It blends the edgy whimsicality of I Kill Giants with the coming-of-age nostalgia of E.T., plus rich characters and adventure like found in Bone, all with a medieval twist. Jeff’s art is stunning and will capture both young readers and avid art fans. We’re very excited to get this into readers’ hands!”

The Reason for Dragons ($19.95, 128 pages, full color, 6.625” x 10.25”, ISBN 978-1936393749) will debut in comic book shops and wherever books are sold in May, 2013.