By Zack Quaintance — This September, acclaimed independent cartoonist A.C. Esguerra is making their original graphic novel debut with Eighty Days, an alternate timeline queer historical romance story about aviators who find love in a time of war.

Eighty Days — which is set to hit comic shops on September 1 and the wider book market on September 7 — is being published as part of BOOM! Studio’s excellent Archaia imprint. A part of the book was first released back in 2016, garnering Esguerra the PRISM Comics Queer Press Grant that year. Today we are honored to unveil for the first time 12 new pages from the book. As you can see in the gallery below, Eighty Days is a soaring skies adventure comic, a pulp-evoking romp brought to life by Esguerra’s wonderful black-and-white ink work. There are shades of 1930s aviation adventures in the book, which is primarily driven by a love story set against a back drop of oppressive war.

The book — as the marketing material points out — is sure to appeal to fans of graphic novels like The Prince and The Dressmaker and The Sacrifice of Darkness, the latter of which was also published by Archaia.

Check out our exclusive unveiling of the aforementioned 12 finished interior pages from A.C. Esguerra’s Eighty Days below…enjoy!

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: A.C. Esguerra’s EIGHTY DAYS

Eighty Days
Writer/Artist: A.C. Esguerra
Publisher: BOOM! Studios - Archaia
CAN LOVE OUTFLY THE SHADOW OF WAR?
Jay wants nothing more than to fly the skies in perfect solitude and with perfect freedom.
Or so he thinks, until he crosses paths with a mysterious thief named Fix whose tricks and charms draw him into the struggle against the looming aviation guild to which Jay owes his very being.
As Jay becomes further entangled in the turbulence of Fix's cause, each man must learn to navigate shifting allegiances, the fight for freedom, and the greatest adventure of all - love.
Award-winning cartoonist A.C. Esguerra presents an unforgettable debut graphic novel for fans of The Prince and The Dressmaker and The Sacrifice of Darkness, about finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.
Price: $24.99
Release Date: September 1, 2021
Pre-Order: A.C. Esguerra’s Eighty Days

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.