Djeliya

By Juni Ba. Published by TKO. 

Softcover, 176 pages, Colour, 2021. 

Inspired by West African folklore, Djeliya tells the remarkable tale of Prince Mansour and his royal storyteller Awa as they journey to reach the mysterious Wizard Soumaoro who guards a fearsome power that he once used to destroy the world.

DJELIYA IS THE TYPE OF COMIC I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE HAD GROWING UP
- COMICON

THE IMAGERY IS EMPOWERED BY THE TEXT, WHICH BA USES MASTERFULLY
- WOMEN WRITE ABOUT COMICS

DJELIYA IS A WINDING EPIC FAIRY TAIL, A FANTASTICAL REIMAGINING OF WEST AFRICAN FOLKLORE. THERE'S SO MUCH TO ENJOY ON EVERY PAGE, INCLUDING THE BACK MATTER THAT DELVES INTO THE FOLKLORE THAT INSPIRED THE BOOK.
- THRILLIST

DJELIYA HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES FOR LARGER-THAN-LIFE STORYTELLING. DJELIYA SHOWCASES THE UNIQUE WAY THAT CARTOONIST JUNI BA’S INFLUENCES—FRANCO-BELGIAN BANDES DESSINÉES, MANGA AND ANIME, AMERICAN COMICS AND CARTOONS, WEST AFRICAN FOLKLORE, THE EPIC OF SUNDIATA, AND THE JELI TRADITION—COALESCE INTO AN ACCESSIBLE YET SUBLIME NARRATIVE.
- AV CLUB