Thieves & Kings is the story (6
volumes) of the young thief,
Rubel. Making his way amidst
the powerful events changing his
world, soldiers and pirates, kings
and princesses, and a Shadow
Lady of the Sleeping Wood.
They all fill his life with gambles
and adventure.
volumes) of the young thief,
Rubel. Making his way amidst
the powerful events changing his
world, soldiers and pirates, kings
and princesses, and a Shadow
Lady of the Sleeping Wood.
They all fill his life with gambles
and adventure.
A new series, Thieves and Kings – Apprentices
Part 1 picks up the story where Volume 5 left
off. Here is a sneak peak:
And then one day, she remembered. . .
Leahanna had always been the most loyal
and adoring of servants, her soul bonded
throughout time to one half of the black
sword pair weilded by the fearsome Shadow
Lady. With this life she had been content. —
Until the day the Black Swords were broken,
her soul was cast free, and Leahanna found
herself lost and confused. . . And very
unhappy.
“I have need of a servant I can trust. One
who will never turn her back on me. One
who will not crumble in a storm. Do you
have Iron in you, girl? Are you strong? Or
will you give up all of what you might
become to float directionless down the river
of time, to play the life of just another girl
who will fade and turn grey and be
forgotten?”
The two of them stood in the little yard of
the farmhouse, Leahanna fairly quaking in
her muddy shoes, heartwrung tears standing
in her eyes, because she understood. She
shook her head, teeth gritted, “I'm not like
that,” she breathed
Part 1 picks up the story where Volume 5 left
off. Here is a sneak peak:
And then one day, she remembered. . .
Leahanna had always been the most loyal
and adoring of servants, her soul bonded
throughout time to one half of the black
sword pair weilded by the fearsome Shadow
Lady. With this life she had been content. —
Until the day the Black Swords were broken,
her soul was cast free, and Leahanna found
herself lost and confused. . . And very
unhappy.
“I have need of a servant I can trust. One
who will never turn her back on me. One
who will not crumble in a storm. Do you
have Iron in you, girl? Are you strong? Or
will you give up all of what you might
become to float directionless down the river
of time, to play the life of just another girl
who will fade and turn grey and be
forgotten?”
The two of them stood in the little yard of
the farmhouse, Leahanna fairly quaking in
her muddy shoes, heartwrung tears standing
in her eyes, because she understood. She
shook her head, teeth gritted, “I'm not like
that,” she breathed
“The thief is a 14-year-old kid. Such is the premise of Mark Oakley's
Thieves & Kings, a wildly entertaining, incredibly inventive series
evocative of the very best in fairy tales, fantasy literature, and, yes
comic books. Like Dave Sim, Jeff Smith, and James Owen (his
spiritual if not thematic predecessors), Oakley has carefully and
conscientiously laid down the framework for a wholly unique milieu
that is his and his alone. From the vaguely Arabian feel of the city to
the hodgepodge of citizens to the intricately-designed costumes and
implements of the characters, Oakley has conjured a new realm and
allowed us to peek in. Those aren't panel borders, people--they're the
window frame to the magic glass through which we peer into another
world...
Thieves & Kings, a wildly entertaining, incredibly inventive series
evocative of the very best in fairy tales, fantasy literature, and, yes
comic books. Like Dave Sim, Jeff Smith, and James Owen (his
spiritual if not thematic predecessors), Oakley has carefully and
conscientiously laid down the framework for a wholly unique milieu
that is his and his alone. From the vaguely Arabian feel of the city to
the hodgepodge of citizens to the intricately-designed costumes and
implements of the characters, Oakley has conjured a new realm and
allowed us to peek in. Those aren't panel borders, people--they're the
window frame to the magic glass through which we peer into another
world...
About the Author:
Mark Oakley was born in 1970 in the province of Quebec to British
immigrant parents, Mary and Robert Oakley. His father, a young
engineer newly employed with a large telecommunications firm, moved
to Canada with his wife to start the new job and begin a family. The
first seven years of Mark's life were lived in a suburb of Montreal in an
english speaking community. The low lying social stresses between the
French and English common in Canada, and particularly in that region,
mystified Mark. He recalls his parents and the French neighbors not
liking each other very much, and he recalls being bullied often by the
neighborhood kids. It was not until later, when he learned of the long
adversarial history between France and England, and of the rocky
beginnings of Canadian history, that some of his childhood experiences
began to make more sense.
Mark Oakley was born in 1970 in the province of Quebec to British
immigrant parents, Mary and Robert Oakley. His father, a young
engineer newly employed with a large telecommunications firm, moved
to Canada with his wife to start the new job and begin a family. The
first seven years of Mark's life were lived in a suburb of Montreal in an
english speaking community. The low lying social stresses between the
French and English common in Canada, and particularly in that region,
mystified Mark. He recalls his parents and the French neighbors not
liking each other very much, and he recalls being bullied often by the
neighborhood kids. It was not until later, when he learned of the long
adversarial history between France and England, and of the rocky
beginnings of Canadian history, that some of his childhood experiences
began to make more sense.
The first issue of Thieves & Kings, when published in 1995, was an
immediate success with fans of the fantasy genre. While never
genetrating the kind of mass audiences of comic book fans which can
make millionaires of people, Mark had always set out to reach an
audience he felt was not well represented by the average comic book
reader. It was his plan to create something which could appeal more to
the general public's tastes, in the form of thick, square bound books
printed with bright covers and filled with uplifting and involved tales of
adventure; a type of product perhaps better suited to bookstores where,
he felt, the adolescent power fantasy common in the comic book world
was not the primary source of interest. Still, Thieves & Kings continues
to entertain a core audience of devoted comic book readers, the
majority of whom are individuals of sterling character who live their
lives in full awareness of the grand beauty which is the universe around
us all.
Still living in Toronto, and now sharing studio space with friend and
fellow comic book artist/publisher, Tara Tallan, M'Oak continues to
write and draw Thieves & Kings.
immediate success with fans of the fantasy genre. While never
genetrating the kind of mass audiences of comic book fans which can
make millionaires of people, Mark had always set out to reach an
audience he felt was not well represented by the average comic book
reader. It was his plan to create something which could appeal more to
the general public's tastes, in the form of thick, square bound books
printed with bright covers and filled with uplifting and involved tales of
adventure; a type of product perhaps better suited to bookstores where,
he felt, the adolescent power fantasy common in the comic book world
was not the primary source of interest. Still, Thieves & Kings continues
to entertain a core audience of devoted comic book readers, the
majority of whom are individuals of sterling character who live their
lives in full awareness of the grand beauty which is the universe around
us all.
Still living in Toronto, and now sharing studio space with friend and
fellow comic book artist/publisher, Tara Tallan, M'Oak continues to
write and draw Thieves & Kings.
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