A 12 year labor of love created by Zaid Adham and Yasser Alireza…
Wayl (Arabic: وَيل ‘Woe’) is the story of Sufyan El-Taher, recently returned to Amman, the capital city of Jordan with his wife Sophia from a long life abroad to take over his family’s business empire after his father’s death and as his sole living survivor. With tensions rising in the Middle East and lawlessness prevalent, Sufyan must face a city in ruins with crime and corruption as societal norm. This is a culture shock he was not prepared for, particularly when the interim CEO of his father’s company decides he doesn’t want anyone muscling in on the game…a decision that ultimately leads to the creation of a super-being in the Arab World’s first psychological thriller graphic novel created by an Arab Canadian writer and a Saudi artist.
Chapter 1 of the 6-chapter (plus 6 subchapter) series develops the introductory story of Sufyan’s return and his encounter with this new world, and the turn of events that leads to the creation of the super-being.
Chapter 2 introduces — now with mystical powers — Sufyan’s main adversary, the much talked-about urban legend figure, Abu Shakoosh, a supposed uncaught serial killer who roamed the streets of Amman in the early 1990s. The story arc of Wayl develops its own background story for Abu Shakoosh (Arabic: ‘Hammer Man’) and advances it for the comic’s purposes. The inclusion of Abu Shakoosh in the story canon with a fictional treatment serves to further capture home audiences’ attention through a relatable figure from urban legends.
In this story of woe, who will seek justice or revenge? The chaotic series of events that unfold drastically affect Sufiyan and everyone touched by his sudden change. The choices they make will forever mold their humanity, leaving readers pondering the question: What makes a mortal?
Additionally, Wayl: the graphic novel plays out across a canvas of sequential art that draws influences from the bronze age of comics blended with a style that meshes various Middle Eastern cultures and beliefs with touches of Irish-Canadian and Ojibwe (First Nation) references.
Wayl: From 3 single issues to to a full-fledged 12-chapter graphic novel with never before seen art and story.
Amidst the chapters of Wayl lurks visions of a turbulent inner world that is reflected in people’s eyes. These are the Figment subchapters, a surreal look at inner psyches of each character in the story. From the search for salvation to the rewards of immorality, each Figment story weaves a symbolic tale as it explores the excesses of human emotion, encapsulated by this emotion’s extremes and a selected verse from its namesake, the Arabic poem Nasj Al Hayat (نسج الحياة), or Figment of Life, also written by Zaid.
The uniqueness of each story is revealed in its artwork, illustrated by three different artists: Ria Oommen, Tala Al Sohaibi, and renowned Dark Horse and IDW cover artist Ashraf Ghori, based in Vancouver, Jeddah, and Dubai respectively. The final chapter, Tauba (Absolution), illustrated by Yasser, serves as a subconscious yet open finale to the main story arc.
These chapters are deliberately illustrated in styles that depart from the main story arc, taking the reader out of the physical world and into the metaphysical realm.
WAYL (Arabic for ‘Woe’) is comics created by Zaid Aladham & Yasser Alireza with passion.
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