Like a pier jutting out over the water, Wangi's town perches on stilts. When the whales arrive each year, the girl abandons her hammock and dives into the sea. The whales swim around this cluster of homes that represents Wangi's world. Yet each one dwarfs this small enclave of Humanity.
Despite the village elder's fears, the whales regard their Human neighbors peacefully. Maaha, the pod's leader, even lets Wangi fingerpaint on him. As Wangi adorns Maaha with art, the girl speaks with Maaha, and the pod leader responds. What stories about life do Maaha and Wangi share? And how will Wangi's love for whales affect her future?
Here's all the info from Comixology and Dark Horse Books:
The Girl Who Draws on Whales
Writer & Artist: Ariela Kristantina
Colorist: Sarah Stern
Letterer: Bernardo Brice
The highly anticipated original graphic novel, The Girl Who Draws on Whales, written and illustrated by Ariela Kristantina, the artist of the Eisner award-nominated original graphic novel Adora and the Distance written by Marc Bernardin, arrives digitally on September 23, 2025, from Comixology Originals, Amazon’s exclusive digital content line and in print from Dark Horse Books on March 31, 2026.
In The Girl Who Draws on Whales, Kristantina takes readers on a powerful and atmospheric journey through a lush island environment inspired by her homeland of Indonesia. With soft and inspiring colors by Sarah Stern, letters by Bernardo Brice, and edits by Will Dennis, The Girl Who Draws on Whales is a captivating and visually stunning story of exploration and discovery. This epic YA adventure marks the first-ever graphic novel that Kristantina has both written and illustrated.
Blending Southeast Asian folklore with themes of colonization and the unshakable power of art and storytelling, The Girl Who Draws on Whales is a coming-of-age story about resistance, siblinghood, and believing in your voice—even when no one else does.
“This story is about trust. About believing in yourself. About what happens when no one else does, except the one person who always will,” says Ariela Kristantina.
Siblings Wangi and her younger brother Banyu live in a sea-village in a post-apocalyptic world, centuries after The Great Flood changed the face of the world. Wangi shares a mysterious bond with the whales that visit their waters and they allow her to draw on their backs. One day a whale arrives alone, wounded and adorned with strange new markings that seem to carry messages from other lost settlements. Wangi believes it’s a call for help. No one listens—except Banyu.
Motivated by this mystery, Wangi vows to investigate. Although forbidden by their parents and the village elders, Wangi and Banyu embark on a wondrous sea journey into the unknown, only to stumble into a much larger fight: one that pits ancient sea magic against a volcanic empire fueled by war, greed, and conquest. Together, they must fight to save their home in The New World.
The Girl Who Draws on Whales is a testimony to the power of stories—their uncanny ability to entertain, educate and, ultimately, unite us.
About Ariela Kristantina: Kristantina is an artist from Jakarta, Indonesia. Since her debut in 2014, she's best known for her work on InSeXts, Mata Hari, Deep State, and The Logan Legacy. She has contributed covers and illustrations to a range of companies including Image, DC Comics, Top Cow, Vault and more. Kristantina is the artist of the 2022 Eisner award-nominated original graphic novel Adora and the Distance which she co-created with Marc Bernardin. The Girl Who Draws on Whales is the first YA graphic novel she has written and drawn.
Thanks to Comixology, Dark Horse Books, and Superfan Promotions for sharing this spotlight with us.
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