I very much liked the sound of Djeliya... and then I DNF´ed it. This basically is a collection of modernised folklore tales from West Africa. I am not great with short stories... Then there is the art style, which although it fits the story was too unclear for me too follow what was going on. Basically, I found myself 70 pages into with no clue as to what was going on. So I skimmed through some more pages before deciding to just put it down.

This is an excellent graphic novel. For me, the illustrations take priority over the story in a graphic novel and this one did not disappoint. The style is both comic-book modern and culturally relevant which adds a lot to the story while serving as engaging visuals. I also want to note that the layout is easy to read. Lots of graphic novels can be tricky to follow visually, but this one did well in that regard. The story is intriguing–I really enjoyed how it was not a straightforward retelling of any specific myth but instead an artful conglomerate to tell a new story with old influences and an inspired vibe. I liked that Ba didn't focus on male characters or even have Mans as the primary character, it was really about Awa. I love strong female characters and I liked the twist at the end with more female characters. Both Mans and Awa grew a lot during the events and it felt natural. The infusion of modern aspects (cool prosthetic legs) and older themes (the myths) threw me off a couple of times because I didn't expect modernity (even futuristic) but once I got used to it it was neat. Overall, a well illustration story with an interesting and complex plot, including cool (yet still relatable characters) and highlighting old legends while still being morally relevant to present day.

the colors are very engaging, but I had trouble following the story. The story jumped a couple time between current and past events, but I had a hard time differentiating the timelines. Maybe if I was more familiar beforehand with the folklore that underlies the story? Like some other comic universes, it seems like there is some responsibility on the reader to already understand a number of elements.

three stars because I'm giving the book the benefit of the doubt that the fault may be mine. eARC from NetGalley.

Wow! That was an awesome graphic novel. I love the way the author blended a lot of African lore as well as provided some wonderful translation guides, and references to the materials. I hope to see more from Juni Ba.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review from TKO Presents via Netgalley

As a West African, I loved this graphic novel so much.

The art style and the infusion of African symbols and dressing was really nice. I liked the colouring used in different pages of this book.

The plot lost me at a point but after a while I caught on. The story is a really nice one. Where each characters tries to prove their worth to themselves and even to others and try to live up to the accomplishments of their parents or ancestors.

There's a sort of futuristic characteristics of the setting which I loved. Where ever there's Africanfuturism you'll find me devouring it. And Djeliya has every bit of Africanfuturism as well as Africanjujuism to offer.

With vivid art and folklore of various African cultures interwoven into a unique, genre-defying story, Djeliya is a fascinating read. Although I sometimes had a bit of a hard time following exactly what was happening, I enjoyed being swept along by the animated art and the interesting world building details sprinkled throughout. I also really appreciated the information at the end, which helped me learn more about the influences that contributed to and inspired Djeliya.

I love graphic novels, especially ones that are kind of unique in their art style, layout and / or storytelling.

With Djeliya, the influence of the classic 90s cartoons is obvious. I fell in love with the strong black outlines, the way the colour setting - not a lot of different colours and not light at all, but wow, the impact that had - matched the postapocalyptic tone and setting of the story.

At first, the story was a bit tricky to follow, but once you get to know prince Mansour and his storyteller Awa, you are pulled into their adventures. With the story inspired by west-african folklore it is only natural to face words and phrases throughout the story that you might not know, but there are some short explanations on page as well as a glossary at the end, helping you along.

Djeliya is a graphic novel that needs to be savoured, not rushed through. If you give yourself time to travel from frame to frame, you will be pulled into the adventure and storyline in no time. A little gem, that is what Djeliya is.

I’m not sure how to review or rate this graphic novel, since I feel like I didn’t fully grasp it. It’s based on West African history, mythology and legends, but reinterpreted by the author in a style that looks like a futuristic dystopia. Honestly the art style wasn’t to my personal taste and it did impact the reading experience negatively for me. It’s very much action comics style of graphics and the characters are drawn as exaggerated caricatures which makes it hard to read their facial expressions. I’m not used to this style of art and so I found it difficult to interpret and had to rely almost solely on the text to grasp the plot.

However I did enjoy the story a lot, it’s obvious that the author used the inspirational material and then transformed it into a new story. There were clear associations to colonialism and oppression of women and the story addressed these issues in a clever way. I especially enjoyed the reveal of where the wizard got all of his knowledge and what became his fate. The story is open ended and let’s the reader imagine for ourselves what happens next.

In summary I’m glad I read it but I’m not sure I would read it again or read a sequel. I would be interested in more by this author, but probably rather in text form.

I loved how thorough this book is. The art style, the color choices, the storyline all seemed to be thought out down to the last detail. Each character seemed to be created with integrity and care. It was a brilliant decision to incorporate the symbols and history behind this book.

Djeliya

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Pleasantly surprised by this graphic novel. The illustrations were beautiful, I loved the ambience that was set with the carefully chosen colour scheme.

The subject choice appealed to me because I am interested in West African stories, and this story was highly original, full of lore and witty at times. I have never read a fantasy novel told through the graphic medium, but I am so glad I chose to read this because I was able to become fully engrossed in the story without feeling overwhelmed by description.

Overall I really loved the art style and I think a lot of people should give this graphic novel a chance :)

I'll keep this brief because it's short so I don't want to say much about the plot, but I loved the way this sci-fi/fantasy graphic novel blended West African folklore into something unique and interesting.

I liked the framing structure and how Juni Ba used smaller stories to create the whole narrative. Sometimes that doesn't work for me to create a cohesive whole, but in this case it definitely worked and was helped by Ba's gorgeous art. In the notes, Ba says he was inspired by 90's Cartoon Network and I could definitely see that with all the bright colors and heavily stylization. I also loved the extra information about Ba's inspiration at the end of the work.