Faith Erin Hicks' Nameless City to Get Animated Adaptation

CBR

By Rob Cave

Published Apr 4, 2017

Faith Erin Hicks' YA series about life in a trading city caught on the confluence of empires scores an animated adaptation.

Canadian cartoonist and animator Faith Erin Hicks' acclaimed YA graphic novel adventure trilogy "Nameless City" is now set to become an animated series produced by Frederator Studios.

Under the deal, the whole series will be adapted into 12 half-hour episodes, with the first four, corresponding with the first book in the series, due to be released sometime in the fall of 2018.

Set in a fictional metropolis on an important trade route, "Nameless City" draws inspiration from the history of the Silk Road, and follows a cast of colourful characters including Kaidu, the young son of an important general of the incoming Dao Empire, and Rat, an equally young girl, who is a native of the city that knows its streets and rooftops with the intimacy of a parkour enthusiast.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the deal, and her new book, Hicks said, “I always envisioned 'The Nameless City' as a comic. It was always supposed to be a comic and it was super cool when [animators] Frederator and Recursion approached me about partnering to make this thing happen. It’s a nice bonus.”

The author also gave readers some further insight into what fans can expect in "The Stone Heart," the second book in the "Nameless City" series.

"The villain in 'The Stone Heart,' Erzi, has very specific, very human motivations. He sees himself as a savior figure, someone who could potentially save the city," Hicks said. "He’s been raised with this idea of what his future is. And all of a sudden that future is threatened and he lashes out as a result. That’s a very human result. I really try and instil this in all my characters."

Written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks and colored by Jordie Bellaire, "The Stone Heart," the second volume in the "Nameless City" series, is available now.