Cosmoknights (Book One)

by Hannah Templer

Overview

For this ragtag band of space gays, liberation means beating the patriarchy at its own game.

Pan's life used to be very small. Work in her dad's body shop, sneak out with her friend Tara to go dancing, and watch the skies for freighter ships. It didn't even matter that Tara was a princess... until one day it very much did matter, and Pan had to say goodbye forever. Years later, when a charismatic pair of off-world gladiators show up on her doorstep, she finds that life may not be as small as she thought. On the run and off the galactic grid, Pan discovers the astonishing secrets of her neo-medieval world... and the intoxicating possibility of burning it all down.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603094542
Publisher:	IDW Publishing
Publication date:	10/22/2019
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	150,089
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Hannah is a queer cartoonist and graphic designer currently living in Seattle. She graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in 2011 and has since worked as a colorist, cover artist and interior artist on well-known titles such as Samurai Jack, Tomb Raider, and Jem and the Holograms. She has also worked for several years at various Seattle design agencies, most recently as a UX designer at States of Matter. She enjoys life with her trusty dog Thistle and grumpy cat Noodle, and plays tabletop roleplaying games as often as she can.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/30/2019

Templer (the Glow series) breaks out in her first solo title, a gorgeous and timely space adventure saga. Pan, a young and rebellious mechanic, helps her planet’s princess (who happens to be her best friend) escape a forced marriage. Five years later, this has rendered Pan persona non grata in a quasifeudalistic society obsessed with royalty. But when Bee and Cass, a pair of charismatic “cosmoknights”—mech-suited fighters who compete in gladiatorial jousts to “win” princesses for their sponsors—show up wounded at her door, Pan discovers that she’s not the only person in the galaxy who hates the system. Pan stows away on the knights’ ship, and convinces them to let her join in their quest to liberate as many princesses as possible, by winning their hand and then setting them free; but will the newly formed trio survive their first bout? And who is the mysterious woman following them? Every panel hums and crackles with glowingly lush, well-realized worldbuilding. The dynamic action sequences, which merge tech and renaissance tropes, seem to leap off the page. But as lovely as Templer’s art is, it’s her political commentary that shines brightest: blunt yet incisive, Templer skewers patriarchal “go along to get along” mindsets and offers a dazzling vision of radical direct action—with rocket boots. Agent: Charlie Olsen, Inkwell. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"A gorgeous and timely space adventure saga... Every panel hums and crackles with glowingly lush, well-realized worldbuilding. The dynamic action sequences, which merge tech and renaissance tropes, seem to leap off the page. But as lovely as Templer’s art is, it’s her political commentary that shines brightest... a dazzling vision of radical direct action—with rocket boots." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Templer’s exploration of this neo-medieval world is gorgeous... Fun, yet still deeply political." — Samantha Puc, The Beat

"Pan’s journey to recognizing her own worth and identity as a feminist is earnest and believable... readers will enjoy the ride." — Kirkus Reviews

"Queer romance, friendship, and wild mech battles against the patriarchy? I’m not sure what more you’d need." — Barnes & Noble SF (Best of the Month)

"A fast-paced, beautifully drawn, feminist space romp with a diverse cast of characters. The artwork, all purples, pinks, oranges and blues, really does a wonderful job making Pan’s world come alive. This story will resonate with anyone who has ever dreamed of exploring and changing the world—as well as those who just enjoy a gripping, action packed adventure story with queer folk in space... richly drawn, unique, and captivating." — Megan Baird, YALSA

"Always entertaining and engaging from the first page, readers will be wowed by the colorful and eye-popping Cosmoknights... the sci-fi story and the incredible visuals are combined into one remarkable reading experience." — Villain Media

From the Publisher

2019-08-18
Princeless meets TV's Firefly in a feminist webcomic-turned-graphic novel.

The night Pan helps Princess Tara evade a forced marriage by escaping the planet, she loses the one friend she ever had. Five years later, she is helping her mechanic father in the shop and groaning as the men watch tournaments on TV—this is outer space, so the jousts happen with high-tech spacesuits, not horses, though the prize is still marriage to the planet's princess for the cosmoknight's sponsor. The night after one particularly gruesome battle, a lesbian couple arrives at Pan's doorstep, asking for her doctor mother's help. Pan figures out that the wounded woman is a cosmoknight, accompanied by her wife, but what really shocks her is their secret: When they win, they whisk the princess away to freedom. That's all it takes for Pan to stow away on their spaceship to join them. At first they are angry, but she proves her worth at the next joust. The jewel-toned, full-color illustrations use different palettes to mark flashbacks, fights, and the present day but can still be confusing. Pan's journey to recognizing her own worth and identity as a feminist is earnest and believable. To say the book ends on a cliffhanger is charitable; the conclusion is incredibly abrupt. Pan and the knight are white; her wife and Princess Tara are black.

While the plot feels too unfinished for publication, readers will enjoy the ride. (Graphic science fiction. 15-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

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