We meet The Girl, serious and quiet, the night before she starts her new school. She has recently immigrated with her parents to a small northern English town in search of a new start.
Before she falls asleep, The Girl reads a poem from a strange, old story book of her Mama’s and the next day she wakes to silence. Stealing downstairs The Girl finds the monster from the poem, The Shenk, in her house. He has killed her parents, taken over her life and perhaps also stolen her name.
We follow The Girl through the many worlds as she searches for her Mama’s story book (now stolen), her name (perhaps only hidden) and the clues she will need to help her fight her Shenk. The story is told in 6 parts intercut with five ‘folktales’. It is these stories within the story that hold the key to The Girl overcoming her monster.
The Shenk: Oja, Catwitch, The Girl, The Goblin, Heron and a Librarian
The Shenk is a story of displacement, lost and stolen power and the search for a place to belong. It began as a web comic back in 2018 and in 2021 I was awarded a grant from Creative Scotland to complete the first draft of the book as a graphic novel. Now the Girl’s story is being released as monthly comics for the duration of 2024.
You can support the publication by joining my Patreon and you can buy the comics here.
