Boy From Clearwater HC (2023 Levine Querido) comic books

Volume 1 - 1st printing. Written by Yu Pei-yun. Art and cover by Chou Jian-xin. Translated by Lin King. An incredible true story in graphic novel form, that lays bare the tortured and triumphant history of Taiwan, an island claimed and fought over by many countries, through the life story of a man who lived through its most turbulent times. Tsai Kun-lin, an ordinary boy was born in Qingshui, Taichung in 1930s Taiwan. Tsai, in concert with the beautiful illustrations of Chou Jian-xin, depicts a carefree childhood despite the Japanese occupation: growing up happily with the company of nursery rhymes and picture books on Qingshui Street. As war emerges Tsai's memories shift to military parades, air raids, and watching others face conscription into the army. It seems no one can escape. After the war, the book-loving teenager tries hard to learn Mandarin and believes he is finally stepping towards a comfortable future, but little does he know, a dark cloud awaits him ahead. Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 352 pages, PC. Cover price $25.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $18.95

Volume 2 - 1st printing. Written by Yu Pei-yun. Art and cover by Chou Jian-xin. Translated by Lin King. The follow-up to the acclaimed graphic novel memoir and true story about censorship and persecution during Taiwan's White Terror era. After his imprisonment in Green Island, Kun-lin struggles to pick up where he left off ten years earlier. He reconnects with his childhood crush Kimiko and finds work as an editor. But when manhua publishing becomes victim to censorship, and many of his friends lose their jobs, Kun-lin takes matters into his own hands. He starts a children's magazine, Prince, for a group of unemployed artists and his old inmates who cannot find work anywhere else. Kun-lin's life finally seems to be looking up... but how long will this last? Forty years later, Kun-lin serves as a volunteer at the White Terror Memorial Park, promoting human rights education. With the end of martial law, Kun-lin and other former New-Lifers felt compelled to mobilize to rehabilitate fellow White Terror victims, forcing him to face his past head-on. Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 336 pages, PC. Cover price $25.99.