New Scholastic Book Series Announced: Traveler
by JR Cook - 8 years ago show comments
Blizzard has announced a new children’s book series in collaboration with kid-friendly publisher Scholastic and we don’t know much, but what we do know is pretty exciting.
First off, the story is being written by Greg Weisman. The name might not be familiar, but when you hear about some of the stuff he’s worked on, you’ll know his quality:
- Co-creator of Disney’s Gargoyles
- Supervising producer of The Spectacular Spider-Man
- Executive Producer of Star Wars Rebels
- Producer of DC’s Young Justice
And that’s without going into all the writing credits he has throughout years in the animation/TV industry. The bottom line is that he’s been around for a long time and worked on a lot of high quality cartoons, including some that really push the envelope for what you’d consider “children’s television.”
As for the story itself, Blizzard’s resident thunder god Chris Metzen and James Waugh (Director of Story and Creative Development) don’t go into too much detail: we get that it’s the story of “Aram”, who’s the son/step-son of a prominent world traveler, and who consequently gets lost and has to find his way home. And we get teases of some of the colorful characters he meets along the way (including what looks to be a murloc sidekick).
At the same time, the artwork showcased in the video has this excellent painterly quality to it, and while some of the styles echo what we’ve seen in the game’s development before (more notably the world concepts for Pandaria during MoP) it has a very distinct vibe to it. Overall it looks like a very fresh take on the world, which will hopefully appeal to younger readers while also pleasing veteran fans of the franchise.
Read the full post and watch the trailer video below.
We’re pleased to announce a new collaboration with Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books on a new book series for kids ages 8-12 —World of Warcraft: Traveler!
This epic action-adventure series features a young cast of Warcraft characters discovering the mysteries and majesty of the world around them. Written by celebrated comic book author and animator Greg Weisman, the first book will include full-page illustrations and sketches created by Blizzard artist Samwise Didier, along with a full-color cover illustration by Blizzard artist Stephane Belin.
The first hardcover book is scheduled for release in November of 2016. Read the full press release here.
More information about the plot can be found on Scholastic’s press release:
It’s been years since twelve-year-old Aramar Thorne, a clever boy who is never without his precious sketch book, has seen his father. So when Captain Greydon Thorne comes ashore and asks his son to join him at sea, it feels as if someone has redrawn Aram’s entire world. Before he knows it, Aram is aboard the Wavestrider with Lakeshire fading to a distant dot on the horizon. But the thrill of adventure quickly fades, as Greydon relentlessly schools Aram on how to handle his cutlass and how to relate with the strange and diverse creatures of Azeroth. In addition, Aram struggles to get along with the Wavestrider’s crew—especially second mate Makasa, a tough teenaged girl who has been reluctantly placed in charge of him. Just as Aram starts to get his head above water, a band of vicious pirates attack the Wavestrider, turning his world upside down once again. As Aram tries to find his way home with his father’s compass in hand, he’ll travel across Azeroth’s beautiful and hostile terrain, encountering creatures both terrible and wondrous. He’ll seek to understand Azeroth’s denizens as he draws them in his sketchbook, forming unlikely friendships along the way. But the journey is hindered by Greydon’s compass, which never points north. If the compass isn’t leading Aram and Makasa home–to safety–to what destiny is it leading them?
