Von Allan is releasing a new graphing novel called Stargazer, Volume 2. I’m a little late on posting this but really hope you go out and order this book. Von and Moggy were the first ones to order one of my 50 Banjo pics when I was in need, and they really helped to spread the word on that project. I can’t repay them enough. I going to throw a few links at you:

About the Stargazer series.
www.vonallan.com
Von’s other books on Amazon

Here is the press release with the ISBN:

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (OPENPRESS) August 10, 2011 — “All ages” comics
and graphic novels are stories that parents can hand to their children
without worrying about what they’re reading. Unfortunately, the term
“all-ages” also implies safe, dull stories that are not exciting or
believable and feature characters that are not realistic. Von Allan, an
Ottawa-based artist and graphic novelist, is challenging these ideas
with his two part graphic novel series “Stargazer.” The concluding
volume arrives in stores world-wide in October.

“In Volume 2, I really wanted to play with people’s expectations of an
all-ages comic, especially one with younger girls as the protagonists,”
said Allan. “I think a lot of people take all-ages to mean safe or
gentle. But graphic novels and comics are flexible and I don’t think a
children’s comic has to be completely tame for it to qualify as
‘kid-friendly.’ The first volume of “Stargazer” was designed to read
mostly like a traditional all-ages fantasy, but the story takes a
scarier turn in the second volume. It’s psychologically darker and the
main characters are pushed to deal with new and more difficult events.
That’s comparable to real life, though, and I think adults sometimes
forget what children can handle. And how they learn to cope with
day-to-day reality and tough times. The best and most enduring stories
have an edge to them…it mirrors life. And, let’s face it, kids also
like to be a little scared.”

“I also wanted to write a kids’ story that an adult could enjoy,” Allan
added. “Kids and adults have a lot in common when it comes to enjoying
fairytale-like stories. There’s an escapism and a certain enjoyment of
goosebumps and wonder. Some of the most successful books are the ones
that adults and kids are both reading; the Harry Potter phenomenon, for
example. It’s partially because kids and adults are reading these
together but it’s also that books aimed at kids can be smart, exciting
and suspenseful and they don’t need to be “dumbed down.” With all that
in mind, I didn’t want to pull punches with “Stargazer.” I wanted to
create a riveting story with strong characters that readers of all ages
could believe in. Nothing is worse than a book that talks down to or
patronizes a reader regardless of their age, and I think I avoided all
of that with “Stargazer.”

In the first volume of “Stargazer,” three girls, Marni, Elora, and
Sophie, found themselves transported to a strange world by an ancient
artifact. Faced with being on their own and far from home, the friends
must rely on each other and their wits to find a way home. Under
unfamiliar stars, the three girls have the kind of adventures they could
only have imagined before; they flee an unseen but terrifying monster,
they make a new friend, they find a new ship, and they travel through
the alien landscape to a distant tower, looking for help. In the
concluding volume of “Stargazer,” the girls make more discoveries,
overcome some frightening circumstances, and learn how strong friendship
can be. When the monster from Volume 1 returns, the girls must unite to
face their fears and fight for their lives.

“Stargazer Volume Two” has an ISBN of 978-09-781237-4-1, a suggested
retail price of $14.95 US and is 110 pages in length. It will arrive in
stores world-wide on October 12th, 2011. Multiple companies are
distributing “Stargazer Volume Two,” including Diamond Comic
Distributors (item code AUG111259), the Ingram Book Company, Follett
Library Resources, and the Brodart Company.

About Von Allan: Von Allan was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior,
Ontario, just in time for “Star Wars: A New Hope.” The single child of
two loving but troubled parents, Von split most of his childhood between
their two homes.