Huckleberries: Illustrator Kit Seaton wins acclaim in first graphic novel attempt

I had lost track of Kit Seaton until my daughter, Amy, pointed out a graphic novel at Cosmic Monkey Comics in Portland recently.

On a shelf, among the Batmans, Supermans, Captain Americas and plethora of modern superheroes, was “Afar,” a graphic novel illustrated by Seaton and told by critically acclaimed author Leila Del Duca. “Afar” tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who astral-projects to other worlds while she sleeps. Among the critical praise is this from Benjamin Dewey of “The Autumnlands” series: “In a cultural landscape of reboots, sequels and adaptations, ‘Afar’ stands out as a very promising collaboration between two gifted storytellers.”

I was introduced to Seaton’s exceptional sketches and costume designs in 2003-04, during my daughter’s senior year at Lake City High. Seaton designed the costumes for the plays directed by her mother, Sandra, including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Nine Dragons: A Modern Fable.” Her designs included the flowing red-yellow-and-blue gown and wild headdress that my daughter wore as Titania in the Shakespeare play.

In an exchange of emails, Seaton told me that she left Coeur d’Alene in 2007 to study at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Lakewood, Colorado. That’s where she and Del Duca, of Portland, became friends. Said Seaton: “We had always seen each other’s art on the walls and had been really impressed, and a little envious of each other.”

In 2013, Seaton moved to Savannah, Georgia, where she’s now a professor of sequential art (visual narrative, comics) at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Shortly afterward, Del Duca pitched the idea of working together on a young adult graphic novel for Image Comics. “Afar” (retail $14.99 at Amazon.com) hit the shelves only weeks ago.

Will there be a sequel to “Afar”? Seaton hopes so. So do comic fans.

BBQ haven

The best barbecue is in the South, of course. But Kootenai County provides a decent selection of barbecue sandwiches, too. Five of 10 Best BBQ Sandwiches in Idaho listed by the OnlyInYourState website are in Kootenai County: No. 1, Famous Willies BBQ in Post Falls; No. 4, Junior’s Barbecue in Hayden; No. 5, Triple B Backhills BBQ on Best in Coeur d’Alene; No. 7, Meltz Extreme Grilled Cheese in Coeur d’Alene; and No. 9, Drummin Up BBQ in Coeur d’Alene. The local barbecue is terrific. Now, if we could only settle on a spelling for “barbecue.”

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: “Tiny buds of pink/ baby blooms of white/ little Robin Redbreast/ singing his delight” – Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“April”) … If you have time at 6 p.m. Monday, swing by The Well-Read Moose in Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone. In honor of National Poetry Week, I’ll join top-notch poets Tod Marshall and Roger Dunsmore in reading some of The Bard’s poetry … Poll: Not that soon-to-be multimillionaire Zach Collins cares, but 70 percent of Huckleberries Online readers say the frosh Gonzaga center made a mistake by leaving Gonzaga early for the pros … Lake City High English teacher Kirsten Pomerantz was awarded for doing her “dream job” well. On Wednesday, school trustee Dave Eubanks and others interrupted Pomerantz’s second-period class to present her with the local Kiwanis Club’s High School Teacher of the Month Award. The honor finally sunk in after school when she had time to “get tearful.” May her kind increase.

Parting shot

Cindy Hval, author of “War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation,” tells Huckleberries that she’s one book review shy of the magic 50 on Amazon.com. Once a book reaches 50 reviews, it gets a bump to Amazon’s recommended list. Ah, that’s your cue to write a review.