The Next Round

I’m not a huge fan of sports analogies. Oftentimes, these clichés come out of left field and fail to hit their mark. That said, I’m also not someone who lays off a perfect pitch. I mean, everyone knows you gotta take a few cuts if you’re ever going to connect, right? So, if I WAS going to use a corny sports analogy to describe the graphic novel process, I might say it’s a lot like boxing: match up an author and an illustrator, promote their event, and hope the outcome pleases the audience.


At Stone Arch, we’ve already started our next round of graphic novels, scheduled for release in Fall 2009. One title, FLOAT AND STING: ONE ROUND WITH MUHAMMAD ALI, matches up celebrated author Davis Miller with illustrator Andres Esparza. In the book, Miller is a puny little mouse at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. At least that's
what the other students call the 4' 7" senior. After years of being depressed, the sickly teen decides to take on an impossible dream. He decides to become a boxer. Then one day in 1975, Miller gets a chance to spar with Muhammad Ali — a bout that changes his life.


Unlike some matchups, Miller and Esparza haven't clashed with each other in these opening rounds (trust me, as an editor, I’ve refereed a few battles in the past); their combination of writing talent and visual storytelling has created a tale of excitement and inspiration. So for now, enjoy a few sneak peeks or, you might call them, pregame warm-ups. This book is sure to be a knockout! (Okay, that was a little corny.)



Donnie Lemke
Senior Editor
Stone Arch Books