The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks and published by First Second is an amazing graphic novel of friendship and what it means to be an “outsider.” The story is set in the beautifully rendered world of an unnamed city that, conversely, has been called by countless thousands of names. The Nameless City or the title is a character in its own right, with Hicks making the city come to life for her readers with her vivid illustrations. Jordie Bellaire did an excellent job, as well, adding color to the graphic novel.
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
The Nameless City has been called by many names by the invading forces that have conquered it over the ages, but whenever they have given the city a name, they have not been able to hold it for very long. Naming it, for invading armies, has been somewhat like a curse, marking their eventual downfall. The natives of the Nameless City do not call it by any name other than the Nameless City, and the people who have tried to give it a name are “outsiders.”
Faith Erin Hicks has written other very successful graphic novels like Zombies Calling and The War at Ellsmere for SLG Publishing, and has illustrated First Second’s Brain Camp and wrote and illustrated Friends With Boys. The Nameless City is the first graphic novel in a planned trilogy, and the artwork follows in the tradition of Jeff Smith’s Bone and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
In The Nameless City, the invading armies and the families that they bring along with them are considered as “outsiders.” And yet, a rather unlikely bond of friendship forms in The Nameless City, between Kaidu, or Kai, the son of an outsider, of the Dao people, and Rat, a native of the Nameless City who is cynical and street-smart.
Though Kai is the son of General Andren, he has never before seen his father until he was sent to the Nameless City by his mother, to both get to know his father better and to get trained as a soldier. Kai tries to fit in, but the other boys his age treat him like he does not fit in, bullying him.
Also, Mura, the female bodyguard of Erzi, the son of the General of All Blades, who first took over the Nameless City some 30 years in the past, gives Kai a hard time at the beginning of the graphic novel. She is trained in the martial arts and she relishes in both training the teens and putting them in their place by showing she can easily defeat them all. She is also a native of the Nameless City, and over time, begins to develop a grudging acceptance and liking of Kai.
General Andren takes Kai into the Nameless City for the first time ever, where Kai gets to try meat on a stick, and he sees the street urchin, Rat, looking down from a rooftop. General Andren appears to love his son, though being a father figure is a bit new to him, and he is often involved with his military duties during the course of the book. He even yells up to Rat, kindly offering to buy her some food. she gets a scowl on her face, though, and leaves.
Kai is told by his father that is he is ever lost or needs help when he is in the city, to head towards the “Stone Heart” of the city, where there are monks who will help him. The people of the Stone Heart of the Nameless City do, indeed, offer Kai help later in the novel.
On a subsequent trip to the Nameless city, Kai makes a deal with Rat. In return for his bringing her food, he asks her to teach him how to run like she does, across the rooftops of the buildings of the Nameless City. They develop a friendship for each other, and a piece of news she finds out later on helps to save the lives of Kai and his father.
The Nameless City is a visual treat for the eyes and it has an exciting and captivating plot that will keep readers wanting to read on, and longing for the publication of the other two graphic novels in the planned trilogy. It is a graphic novel that will appeal to fans of novels like Avatar: The Last Airbender, with manga-like art. The Nameless City would make a great addition to the personal libraries of anyone who loves graphic novels.
By John Samuels
Photo Courtesy Faith Erin Hicks