Always fun to read things from lore I’m not as familiar with because I find something new. I loved the emphasis on the magic of stories and story telling

I like the colourful and dynamic style of the drawing, but the narrative felt confusing and not compelling. I found myself stopping and restarting many times, and still, I didn’t manage to finish the book.

Stunning read, the art is so beautiful and unique, I think every page is filled with wonderful and colourful art. This reimagining of West African epics is so interesting and addictive.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In Djeliya modern fantasy meets West African folklore in a post-apocalyptic universe. Djeliya is action-packed while still leaving room for some comedy. The art in itself reminded me of old comic books I used to read as a child, Spirou, and Asterix. Since I read Djeliya right after reading Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali by Djibril Tamsir Niane, tr. G. D. Pickett, I could simply immerse myself in the universe created by Juni Ba. This made for a great read.

Art: 6/10

Paneling: 7/10

Plot and Characters: 4/10

Thoughts: Honestly, I don't have much to say, this didn't capture me and I barely remember anything about it

I just finished reading Djeliya by Juni Ba and I was definitely satisfied. Ba's 00s Cartoon Network art style is very fun and nostalgic. The story brings African folklore and mythology to life while still telling a new story, offering up elements of fantasy, science fiction, and cultural education within one story.

I don't have zero knowledge of African folklore and mythology (and I probably have more knowledge of West African folklore and mythology than other regions), but I don't claim any level of expertise, especially as a white Canadian. I recognised a number of the characters that featured from folklore in this story, which added to my enjoyment but was not essential to that enjoyment and would still be suitable for people who haven't had the chance to learn about it before. It's a really fun fantasy story that uses a number of sources as a jumping off point for a unique and interesting graphic novel.

This is a fun story with fun art and I'd recommend it.

Thank you so much to netgalley for sending me a copy of this graphic novel. I loved this. And the art was so amazing!

Thanks to TKO Presents and NetGalley for the ARC.

There's a lot to like about this graphic novel. The art is beautiful and unique. Nearly every page is filled with wonderful, colorful art and there is plenty of action. But for whatever reason, I just could not get into this book. I tried so many times, but the story just never grabbed me. It's unfortunate, because I wanted to like this book. I think it's likely this book will find it's audience and there will be many who love it. I wish I did.

Mesmerising to look at and wonderfully inventive, this is a very engaging YA graphic reimagining of aspects of traditional African folklore.

Very original and brilliantly envisioned.

This is a standalone fantasy graphic novel set in West Africa that incorporates cultural mythologies into the story of a king’s son and his djeli (royal storyteller) as they try to make right the wrongs in their world.

There are layered storylines within this graphic novel - I find this very appropriate considering one of the main characters is a storyteller. I thought the overall plot was done well, with an ending that felt thoughtful and complete, yet not at all predictable.

Complementing the storyline is some super unique art - the heavy bolded lines and full color saturation remind me a lot of 90s cartoons I’d watch as a kid on the Cartoon Network. Many stories involve characters that are anthropomorphic, but in settings that combined contemporary, sci-fi and mythological imagery. While I agree with others that the action scenes could be a little confusing, I didn’t mind spending more time on each page, or flipping back and forth between sections to make sure I understood connections.

Overall - solid storytelling and visually arresting art. I’d totally recommend this, and am eager to read more from this author/artist!

I voluntarily obtained an audiobook version of this book free from Netgalley and TKO Presents in exchange for an honest review!

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

An awesome, imaginative and very cool graphic novel set in a post-dystopian world loosely inspired by (mostly) West African folklore. While the start of the book felt a little overwhelming by how fast the pace moved on and how frequently the style of storytelling transitioned (we seem to have two stories within a story removed from the present action), from the midpoint onwards I couldn't put it down. I would say that the story exceeds the characters just as it feels like an utter whirlwind in the earlier parts of the book so we don't really get a chance to know them, but the story is so neatly and satisfyingly plotted towards the end that that becomes the main focus. Thoroughly enjoyable and excitingly imaginative.

This graphic novel is timely and global and artistic. The author, Juni Ba is a true representative of the way comics, legendry, and the literary world have come together in the twenty-first century. Djeliya is a quest story and an anthology of West African mythology, researched and owned and represented in a way that becomes so much more that the sum of its parts. There is something here for readers from a wide variety of vantage points. May Juni Ba continue to provide us with more for a long time.

Thank you to the author, TKO Presents, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will never get enough of folklore retellings. Breathing new life into an ancient story is an art form of its own. This reimagination of West African epics is gritty and prescient. Reading about Awa, the Djeli or "royal storyteller", is reason alone to pick up this book.

Thank you to Netgally and TKO Presents for giving me the chance to read this in advance in exchange for an honst review.

I really enjoyed this comic, which showed in how quickly I read it and that while still taking my time to admire the beautiful art.
Because that was the first thing that drew me in: the art. It has a very unique and stylized look that's immediety capturing. Very dynamic and distinct in it's colour choices.

The story itself I liked as well, although there could have been a few scenes added just to deepen the character relationships - which doesn't mean they were bad but I simply wanted even more of them.
What I did love where the themes about responsibility and building something out of nothing, survival and joy even in a destroid world - hope.
The world building as a whole was very fascinating, combining West African mythology with modern to futuristic technology. The appendix increased the feeling in me that this is a graphic work that's definitely suited for rereads as there's a lot of eastereggs and subtle mentions about culture and lore that only deepen the meaning of the story.

For me, it was fun recognizing things from other (west) African inspried books I'd read and broadening my understanding of those aspects of African storytelling. Also loved the use of oral storytelling.
For sure an interesting read and worth checking out.

This book is a tiny miracle. Incredible illustrations and evocative storytelling and character building pull the reader in-- it was not hard to get invested in this world and these characters.

This is an action packed comic immersed with folklore, culture and unique story. I loved the ending and definitely recommend reading this one!

Thank you #NetGalley and TKO Studios for giving me the opportunity to read this.
#DJELIYA

The inconsistency of the art is a major downside for me. It only made sense on the chapter that announced it was a break in the story. The font was difficult to read and unfocused, even zoomed in. But the art overall is really nice and unique.

This is a surprising unique read. Inspired by West African folklore and stories handed over centuries, this unique graphic novel follows the adventures of Mansou, last prince of a dying kingdom, and Awa, his loyal Djeliya, or 'royal storyteller' as they journey to meet the great wizard who destroyed their world and then withdrew into his tower, never to be seen again.

I love the world, it's so unique and I really want to find out more. I was surprised to see at the end, a section that explains all the inspiration for this book. As someone that has very little knowledge of the West African folklore, this opened a nice chapter for me. I am very curious to read more about these stories.

The characters are another great point of the story. Both main characters are very interesting and their back stories are offering so much. With not that many pages, I feel that this story offered a decent character growth and I enjoyed it.

Lastly, wonderful art! The colors and art style fits the story and the characters so well!

This is a graphic novel inspired by West African Folklore, and it follows prince Mansou and his Dyeliya, Awa, through a destroyed kingdom and the story behind it, involving a wizard and a tower.. The concept itself was amazing and really interesting but I found the execution a bit lacking. I was confused and lost in the story sometimes, maybe if we had more context and the storyline was a little bit more concrete it would have been easier to follow. This is really short and I felt like there wasn’t a lot of time to develop the characters because of the plot, if you like a moving and action packed story maybe this is for you.
I liked the art style, it was very unique and really vibrant.
This was not for me but I do believe it can be for someone else.

Djeliya was a fun West African fantasy comic. What most stood out to me about Djeliya was its art style. Inspired by African aesthetics and 90s cartoons Juni Ba crafted a visually distinct marvel in this book. The bold graphic look of this story was a treat to take in. Ba was especially skilled in crafting fast-paced incredibly dynamic action scenes. His fights oozed cool and the inventive nature of his style was a delight. Unfortunately, while I loved Ba's aesthetics and illustrations I found his panelling often confusing. There lacked an intuitive flow to both the panel layouts and word balloons which made reading this book occasionally confusing.

Djeliya's storytelling was also a mixed bag. We follow Mansour, the fallen prince of a destroyed kingdom and his herald and mentor or <i>djeli</i>, Awa as they attempt to take down the entity that destroyed their kingdom. The story itself was oddly paced and structured. The graphic novel frontloads flashbacks in a way that made the narrative more difficult to follow. These flashbacks were often action centric in a way that limited my ability to connect with the characters and their relationship dynamics early on. Despite that, the plot overall was fairly simple and solidly handled. While the book was initially clunky over time Ba's characterization grew on me and his character arcs and the ultimate conclusion were satisfying.

I really enjoyed the West African mythology and post-apocalyptic setting of Ba's world. Given its extensive bibliography, I gather Ba did a lot of work and research to represent versions of West African mythology in his story. And that effort definitely paid off. From Mansour's ancestral armour to creatures of legend like the djinne Juni Ba's work was steeped in amazing West African culture that was fascinating to dive into.

Overall while Djeliya had its flaws I see a lot of potential in Juni Ba's work and would love to see where he goes next.