In Roland Boles’ graphic novel debut, Viridian: Makes His Mark, middle schooler Vee James enters a contest to become his school newspaper’s cartoonist while competing against his rival.

The press release follows:

Media Release – Calling on comic fans who dream of creating their own comic, Top Shelf is set to release Viridian: Makes His Mark—the story of middle schooler Viridian “Vee” James and his rival, Chuck, each have their own style of writing and artwork, but work together to pursue their creative dreams. This is the graphic novel debut from Roland Boles featuring engaging illustrations alternating with the dramatic black-and-white comics drawn by various characters within the story. This charming adventure invites kids to Take the challenge! Enter the contest! Unlock the comic-making master inside!

Find Viridian: Makes His Mark on Amazon!

“A lot of Viridian comes from my experiences in middle and high school. I was that kid drawing cartoons on copy paper and sharing them with my classmates, so making comics has been a major part of my identity for a really long time now,” says creator Roland Boles. “That part in my life was very formative, as it led me to pursue comic art as a career. I wanted to make the kind of comics middle-school I would’ve related to. And by extension, everyone who is (or maybe once was) like middle-school me. What I ended up with was Viridian. A story about making stories, and how the process of trying to entertain each other is more important than we give credit for.”

About the book:

Viridian “Vee” James is an average middle-schooler with a habit of drawing comics and cartoons on the back of his worksheets. When another kid in class finds these comics, he’s nervous, but… it turns out they’re great! His classmate shares them with friends and encourages Viridian to make more. Quickly growing more confident, Vee decides the best way to get his work out there is to enter a contest to become the official cartoonist for the school newspaper. How hard could it be? But he won’t be the only one gunning for the job… and he’s got a lot to learn about making comics.

Viridian: Makes His Mark will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color softcover graphic novel (ISBN: 978-1-60309-603-4) as well as a digital edition, on January 26, 2026, for a list price of $9.99. For more information please visit the Top Shelf web site.

About the Creator: Roland Boles is a sequential artist and digital illustrator born and raised in Baltimore. Graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Roland has dedicated a good chunk of his life to the art of comic-book making. He spends a lot of his free time playing fighting games like Street Fighter (his Zangief is SO good, you have no idea.) After creating the digital comics Hitmal and Aetherborn, he now makes his graphic novel debut with Viridian.

About the Publisher

Top Shelf Productions has published critically acclaimed and popularly beloved graphic novels since 1997. Celebrating more than a decade as an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf continues to showcase the vanguard of the comics medium, publishing works of literary sophistication, visionary artistry, and personal resonance.

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