Children's Books · Hardback

Suburban Volume 1

Norwegian title: Drabant volum 1

Øyvind HolenMikael Noguchi

He calls himself ”Deks” and has just moved to the Oslo suburb of Grorud with his mother, after his parents' divorce. It's 1994, and the suburb is a culture of graffiti, drugs and teenagers loitering at the mall. Deks meets Camilla, whose boyfriend is “Senc,” alias Victor, who neither goes to school nor works. He deals drugs, and tags at night. A triangular drama develops in secrecy and only waits to be unveiled. The problems continue to build for Deks when drugs go missing, and the sinister types they belong to are willing to do anything to balance their books.

Suburban vol 1 is the first in a series of short graphic novels about a brutal and fierce upbringing in Oslo's suburbia. Øyvind Holen and Mikael Noguchi have previously collaborated on the books Hiphop and Hip-Hop Faktaløve. This is their first work of fiction.

Foreign rights sold: Legioncomix, Mexico and Turbine, Denmark.

'It is a good sign when the only complaint is that your wish there was more. The story is angled toward a sequel and I hope it will materialise.’BERGENS TIDENDE ‘I have read Drabant and I love it [...] it is a comic strip that deserves to reach as many readers as possible.'SERIENETT.NO 'Stylish writing and drawings about the suburban young [...] a steely comic strip story about growing up on the edge of a city.’DRAMMENS TIDENDE ‘Very readable’GUDBRANDSDØLEN DAGNINGEN ‘Journalist, comic book expert and author Øyvind Holen collaborates for the third time with Mikael Noguchi, illustrator and computer game graphic designer, to create Drabant. Whilst the first two books also explored hip-hop culture, this is the pair’s first foray into graphic novels. In spite of both being new to the genre, there is very little to hint at their amateur status with this project. It is clear that they both possess a thorough knowledge of the culture that they outline.’DAGBLADET ‘Author and journalist Øyvind Holen has first-hand knowledge of hip-hop culture. Mikael Noguchi produces fantastic illustrations revealing a real feel for graffiti art.’BERGENSAVISEN