Fanbase Press is excited to announce that it will release a te reo Māori translation of its LGBTQIA+ coming-of-age graphic novel, Four-Color Heroes, in celebration of Māori Language Week (September 11-17, 2023).
Written and illustrated by Aotearoa/New Zealand-born creator Richard Fairgray (Black Sand Beach), Four-Color Heroes is set in a New Zealand high school during the passing of the Civil Union Act 2004. As tensions rose nationwide over the basic equal rights of same-sex couples, two boys were fighting a battle on a smaller scale, against enemies from within and without, as they found love and self-discovery through the pages of a comic book.
Māori Language Week has been held in New Zealand since 1975, providing an opportunity for the celebration and promotion of te reo Māori as a living and dynamic language – one of two official languages in the country.
“In light of Richard’s New Zealand roots, it was vital for us to not only celebrate the indigenous language of the country, but to engage in the Māori Language Week theme of ‘making the language stronger,’” noted Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon. “We were honored to partner with New Zealand-based Komako A. Silver and Alejandra Jensen (The Art of Taonga Puoro) for the translation and incredibly appreciative of their thoughtfulness and expertise throughout the process.”
The graphic novel features a foreword by GLAAD Award-winning writer David M. Booher (Killer Queens, Canto, Young Men in Love), as well as an essay by clinical psychologist and media consultant Dr. Drea Letamendi on protecting the mental health of LGBTQIA+ youth.
Four-Color Heroes will be released digitally in te reo Māori via Hoopla on Monday, September 11, 2023, and via ComicsPlus, Google Books, Google Play, and Kindle Direct on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
The English-language edition of the book is currently available in print from Fanbase Press and digitally on Hoopla, Comics Plus, Kindle Direct, Google Books, and Google Play.
For more information on Four-Color Heroes, please visit www.FourColorHeroes.com or www.fanbasepress.com, as well as Facebook (/FourColorHeroes) and Twitter, @4ColorHeroesGN.
ABOUT FANBASE PRESS
As an Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated comic book publisher and geek culture website, Fanbase Press produces new and distinctive works, as well as daily reviews, interviews, and podcasts, that span the pop culture spectrum and give voice to the themes, ideals, and people that make geekdom so exceptional.
Fanbase Press’ previous titles, including the 2023 Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated Ripple Effects, the 2018 Eisner Award-nominated Quince, the 2022 International Latino Book Award-winning Nuclear Power, and the 2020 Foreword INDIES Award-winning Quince: The Definitive Bilingual Edition, are available online at www.fanbasepress.com and on Amazon, as well as digitally through Hoopla Digital, ComicsPlus, and Kindle.
ABOUT RICHARD FAIRGRAY
Born completely blind in one eye and with only 3% of vision in the other, Fairgray is an award-winning creator who has published over 200 titles, ranging from children’s books like Gorillas in Our Midst and My Grandpa Is a Dinosaur (Sky Pony) to graphic novels and ongoing comics like Shed (Blue Fox Comics) and Haunted Hill. He splits his time between his home in Hollywood and his home in Canada, where he lives with his husband and dogs.
