The Tsunami is Peter’s story, a nasty, painful, upright 12-year-old misfit, mercilessly bullied at school and quietly ignored at home by parents who are too arguing with each other to plague their son. Peter’s lonely life in a small town in New Zealand is covered with the arrival of Charlie, a bad British girl. However, when the bull’s headed commitment to Peter’s truth confronts him with Gus, he is equally plagued by a conflict with Gus, a often violent classmate, things will soon become out of control and the two boys will find themselves unable to imagine themselves in horrifying situations.
“For some reason, I thought that the self-righteous Twerp was 12,” says Wenlock, born in the UK and moved to New Zealand on his 13th birthday. “Tsunami Peter was born from that. He is an interesting character who writes about who at the same time is interesting and tragic, with his seriousness.” Originally published in New Zealand in 2023, Tsunami was Wenlock’s first full-length graphic novel and won the NZ Book Award for Children and Young Adults. Wenlock’s short films and videos have been performed at festivals around the world, and he has worked with clients such as the band MGMT. His short comics appeared in anthology such as The Thoion and Bristle, and he was a featured artist in the best New Zealand comics that is the end of Earth.
Ned Wenlock at NZ Book Awards
“When I received the tsunami submission in my inbox, I just saw the cover and wanted to read it right away.” “When I was able to read the book with Ned’s unique art style and his sense of humor, I was convinced that the tsunami was perfect for prisoners of war.” Editions Pow Pow Press, an English stamp on Pow Pow, focuses on the translation and publication of works from Quebec creators. “We published international creators such as Lewis Trondheim, Sophie Janow and Joana Mossi, and it was always French. It was completely new to us to publish books in English by New Zealand creators,” says Bossa. In recent years, Pow Pow Press has grown its presence in the American publishing market, with the recent release The Jellyfish landing on multiple “Best of 2024” lists, including the top 10 graphic novels for adults in the American Library Association Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table.
Despite its mature theme, Tsunami is a story from an age era that is suitable for adolescent audiences, but Wenlock points out that “(Tsunami) is written for adults,” addressing complex social issues such as bullying from a nuanced perspective. “I really tried to explore the grey realm between the right and the wrong for all the characters involved. It’s a snapshot of the community around a 12-year-old boy.” When asked about the relevance of his book, Wenlock said, “We are currently experiencing an era in which people seem to have a very strict, inflexible, hard-line perspective. There are many screams and we don’t hear. The tsunami tries to explore this.” Wenlock says, in his opinion, the ideal reader of the book is “someone with a sense of humor.”
Beat is pleased to see the exclusive excerpt from the tsunami.
