Illegitimate daughter of the late King Verato, Princess Licottia poses a threat to Harbeny's claimants to the throne.
In a dark corridor of the castle, a hooded man tries to assassinate her with a throwing knife ... Cyrenic, who has sworn loyalty to her, barely saves her.
Condemned never to sleep because a member of the “Indormis” order (“Sleepless” in the original version), will the knight always be able to protect her?
See also
Coda,
a tormented love story draped in fantasy
Born from an idea by screenwriter Sarah Vaughan
(Alex + Ada)
, the concept of
Sleepless
immediately convinced designer Leila del Duca, soon to be joined by her intern Alissa Sallah as colorist and editor.
“Sarah's imagination and her ability to build a universe were fantastic and Alissa made many editorial suggestions that really completed the story,”
Leila del Duca tells
Le Figaro.
Does Cyrenic the "Sleepy" dream of eternal rest?
Sarah Vaughn, Leila del Duca & Alissa Sallah / Urban Comics
Published in the United States between 2017 and 2019 by Image Comics,
Sleepless
was released in France on October 15 by Urban Link.
This Urban Comics label, created in 2020, honors female characters and targets a “young adult” audience, in a slightly smaller flexible format.
The idea is to offer short stories that resonate with the questions of adolescents and young adults.
Sleepless
thus speaks of feelings of love, rivalry, the weight of responsibilities ... all integrated into a fantasy universe rich in multiple ethnicities, in order to facilitate the identification of as many readers as possible.
The representation of black characters is still very uneven in the comics
Leila del Duca
“Sarah [Vaughan] and I always wanted to have a black heroine because in the United States, the portrayal of black characters is still very uneven in comics. We have noticed a deficit both in love stories and in fantasy comics, ”
says Leila del Duca.
Although fictitious, the universe of
Sleepless is
inspired by medieval Europe (the famous tournament!) But is oriented in a rather original way towards the Mediterranean.
The majority of the inhabitants of the kingdom have moreover rather Arab features, although their clothes are of Italian inspiration.
Knight Cyrenic confronts Lord Helder, the king's nephew, in a tournament.
Sarah Vaughn, Leila del Duca & Alissa Sallah / Urban Comics
“17th century Italy and Morocco were our strongest visual influences for
Sleepless,” confirms Leila del Duca.
I looked at a lot of things related to the Borgia when designing the costumes, then I looked for Moroccan patterns to decorate these clothes
(on a proposal from Alissa Sallah, Editor's note)
. It was an interesting balancing act because, before
Sleepless
, I was drawing
Shutter,
a book where the environments and the characters were often exaggerated. I tried to make everything look historic and then mix the different cultural influences. ”
Some readers may regret the relative stripping of the decorations, sometimes reduced to simple plain backgrounds, but it is compensated by the care taken in the clothes, majestic, and the characters, very expressive.
However, we regret more wide shots.
Placing magic in the background gives a special ethereal feel to the corners of this universe.
Leila del Duca
Who says fantasy usually says magic. But
Sleepless
chooses to make it both discreet and crucial, like the supernatural capacity of the "Sleepy" to stay awake (or of Aeon's healers whose care involves a reduction in the patient's lifespan. ).
"Placing magic in the background gives a special ethereal feel to the corners of this universe,"
says Leila del Duca.
As if magic was more of an invisible feeling than a visually awe-inspiring spectacle. "
In terms of the storyline,
Sleepless
gives pride of place to court intrigue and maintains a certain suspense about the identity of the enemy wishing to get rid of the princess.
And it is obviously by going through these ordeals that Licottia and her protector Cyrenic will see their complicity evolve into passionate love.
It all starts, however, with a simple flirtation, as shown in the board below ...
BD box
“I drew
Sleepless
traditionally, inked with a Raphaël Kolinsky sable brush,”
explains Leila del Duca.
Alissa colored it digitally in Photoshop and added a lot of wash-like textures that look a bit like watercolor. ”
Sarah Vaughn, Leila del Duca & Alissa Sallah / Urban Comics
This board is located at the very beginning of the story, just after the coronation ceremony of surno, the uncle of the princess. The latter relaxes as she moves away from this official context, accompanied by her faithful protector.
"Cyrenic takes his duties as a knight very seriously but is delighted with Licotta's jokes,"
notes Leila del Duca.
At this point in the story, they are good friends who have spent many years together. However, this is still a protocol relationship. Even if they are close, they do not allow themselves to cross the limits of the professional framework. They don't know yet that they have feelings for each other. "
In addition to the last box, which arouses suspense in a fairly classic way by showing Cyrenic's reaction to the danger revealed on the next page, this board involves Bini, a fennec, imitating his mistress.
“We wanted Licottia to have an emotional support animal because she is anxious all the time,”
says Leila del Duca.
We thought it would be an adorable and unique companion. ”
Licottia uses fashion in her favor and the court tends to like this singularity
Leila del Duca
Licottia's clothes, accessories and hairstyle are by no means trivial, while some lend her views on the throne.
"Licottia is the only leading character who is both of Harbinian origin
(majority people of the kingdom, with Arab features, Editor's note)
and Mribeshie
(people from a country beyond the seas, black skin, Editor's note. )
, so all the fabrics she wears are from Mribesh, with patterns and bust lines taken from Harbenian fashion,
analyzes the designer
. Her jewelry is also mostly from Mribesh, another way to keep her mother and her culture close to her heart. Her hairstyle differs from that of Harbenian women because her hair is tightly coiled in a manner not common in Harbeny. Basically, she uses fashion in her favor and the court tends to like that singularity. ”
Cyrenic's appearance turns out to be more ordinary, with clothes inspired by
Romeo and Juliet
by Carlo Carlei, a film released in France in 2015, directly on DVD.
On this page, Cyrenic's famous brooch is well highlighted on his chest:
“We wanted it to illustrate the 'sleepy' nature of knights, as well as the protection they offer.
We thought that an eye and a sword suited this idea well! ”
Recalls Leila del Duca.
One of the things I love about manga is when artists add flowers or other effects to push the emotion further.
Leila del Duca
The white flowers that frame the characters are a nod to manga shôjo (books designed for girls), which frequently use this type of staging.
“It was a very conscious reference,”
smiles the artist.
One of the things I love about manga is when artists add flowers or other effects to push the emotion further. I wanted to suggest a moment of flirtation in contrast to the stilted and sultry scene that precedes it. We wanted the reader to begin to understand how comfortable Licotta and Cyrenic feel when they are together. ”
And the designer concludes:
“It was actually one of my favorite scenes to draw!
I liked being able to show love and movement, and start to create a romantic tension between Licottia and Cyrenic.
I think of this page with fondness. ”
Sleepless,
by Sarah Vaughn, Leila del Duca (drawing) and Alissa Sallah (color), translated by Julien Di Giacomo, Urban Link, 308 pages, 14.50 euros.
At the end of the book, this bonus details the creation of a board in eight steps:
Sleepless: creating a board
Access the slideshow (2)