A Wave Blue World is ready to take on its own interpretation of the Arthurian legend with the September release of The Orphan King.
Written by A Wave Blue World co-founder Tyler Chin-Tanner with art by James Boyle, the word “birthright” is taken apart and upended, leaving behind the predictable “chosen one” plot for one where Prince Kaidan — our Arthur analogue — has to earn his way in a world where everything he was promised has been taken from him.
The most absorbing stuff here comes from a thoughtful exploration of the inherent toxic masculinity that spawned these ideas of inherited power and wealth that drive the story. Kaidan’s warrior trainers are women, and while he’s fighting against men and monsters he’s also struggling to overcome the wrong-headed ideas instilled in him by his father and the world around him. These are what caused all the ruin and rot he has to deal with, and it’s something special to see this woven through a fun story for younger readers without treading on the plot and the thrills.
The Orphan King is scheduled to arrive on September 7m 2021.
