THE LIONS OF LENINGRAD

On January 27, 1962, a concert at the Maly Theatre in Leningrad is interrupted when a gunman forces his way inside. Upon arrest, at the police station, the former state prisoner recalls the summer of 1941… When the German army began its invasion of Soviet Russia, four children were evacuated to the countryside: Maxim, the son of a senior Communist Party official; Pyotr, the son of writers; Anka, the daughter of a concert violinist; and Grigory, the son of a pilot who was executed for insubordination. But the farm where they were staying came under attack, and the train that was supposed to take them to safety was destroyed by German planes. The four children had to then find their way back to Leningrad through enemy lines, an incredible adventure that would test their friendship to the limit…

THE LIONS OF LENINGRAD is a story I wrote for artist Thomas Du Caju with whom I have worked on several projects, mostly involving WW2. Thomas is a gifted artist who loves researching and recreating the thirties and forties in his artwork. The story was published as a two part comic book mini-series in Dutch and French. Recently, it has been published in the US as one single 92 page volume. That makes me happy because the story is best enjoyed in one read, as a graphic novel. The comic has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Arabic and Danish. It has earned good reviews in Graphic Policy, Foreword Review, Publishers Weekly. There is also a publisher’s page.

The four protagonists of the story during the deadly winter of 1941/42

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