Ever wanted to know what a Western version of Spirited Away would look like? Well, The Junction by Norm Konyu promises to deliver on that. At least, whenever the graphic novel launches.

The Junction cover.
Now all I can think of is that Conjunction Junction song. Probably not appropriate.

Titan Comics is proud to announce on July 29, 2021 that they will be publishing The Junction by Norm Konyu. This graphic novel was Konyu’s debut work, and will collect all issues of the original comic book into a single volume. That way, you don’t have to flip between issues to enjoy the full story. Unless you like that sweet paper feel, of course.

The Junction will go on sale sometime next year in April 2022. Hopefully, we will get a more precise release date from Titan Comics later. In the meantime though, you can preorder the graphic novel from Amazon if you live in the US. If you live in the UK or Europe though, you can do the same from Forbidden Planet.

The Junction: Details

The Junction page 21.
Never trust those garden gnomes. They’re all up to something.

As mentioned before, The Junction appears to basically be a Western version of Spirited Away as a comic book and graphic novel. The art style is…simplistic, to say the least. Minimalist, if you want to be artistic. The story is about a little boy named Lucas Jones who reappeared one day after being gone for 12 years. Except, he’s still 11 years old, the same as he was when he disappeared. How? Well, that is what Detective Sergeant David King and child psychologist Jean Symonds want to find out.

The Junction page 40.
Never trust those pink flamingoes either.

Titan Comics has a more detailed summary of the plot of The Junction:

When a missing child, Lucas Jones, reappears on his Uncle’s doorstep in his hometown of Medford after an absence of 12 years, the brief moment of joy is clouded by mystery. Where has he been? Where is his father who disappeared at the same time? And how is it possible that Lucas is still 11 years old? 

 As Lucas is uncommunicative, it is left to Detective Sergeant David King and child psychologist Jean Symonds to attempt to find some answers from the few belongings Lucas returned with; little more than four Polaroids and a personal journal which speaks of his time in a place called ‘The Junction’. 

 The story unravels through interviews, medical and police reports, and, ultimately, through visits to The Junction via the pages of Lucas’s diary, jumping back and forth in time, revealing pieces of the puzzle in a mystery that keeps the reader guessing right up until the end.

Conclusion

Titan Comics will collect all of the issues of The Junction by Norm Konyu into a single graphic novel to publish. The graphic novel itself will be available sometime in April 2022. Want to see what a Western version of Spirited Away looks like in comic book form? Preorder it now, and wait for the haunting to begin.

Source: Titan Comics