Velm

ÉDITIO

NS M

ICH

EL QU

INTIN

LE GRAND RETOUR

1

editionsmichelquintin.ca

After the death of her granddad Hector “Hard Head” Rondeau, Ava inherits his most valuable

possessions: a pirate ship called The Agraoba and one half of a treasure map.

What would a 13 year old do with such an heritage?

VELM, AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATOR

Valerie is my name. I like comics (creating and reading them), drawing, drinking (sometimes coffee, sometimes beer), movies, and animals. That’s about it!

A native of Laval, Velm joined the Old Montreal comic arts program in 2012. In 2014, she started working on comic strips and in 2015, her webcomic La premiere was a finalist in the renowned Angouleme Festival’s Revelation Blog competition. Today, she continues to make her way in the Quebec comic art scene. After the publication of the trilogy The First (La premiere), a graphic novel for young adults, she started to work on the new series for children, The Agraoba (L’Agraoba).

EXCERPT FROM THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE SERIES ORIGINALLY ENTITLED “L’Agraoba 1 – Le grand retour”

978-2-89762-432-3 • 13 years + • 80 full-colour pages • 18 x 24 cm • $16.95

editionsmichelquintin.ca

RIGHTS MANAGERCharlotte Delwaidecdelwaide@editionsmichelquintin.ca

Uh …

Hello, sir.

Not interested.

3

Whatchu want?!! I told ya to git off

my property.

Lewis?

Huh?

Are you Lewis Bérubé?

From Blockhead?

Gimme that!

He’s dead, that it?

Uh huh.

Yeah! That’s me. Whatchu want wit

me?

Here.

It’s from Hector Rondeau, my grandfather.

4

I’m his grand-daughter, Ava.

Alright, come in.

Ain’t no mansion, I know.

Come on … it ain’t that bad either.

5

Pull up a log, kid.

My mom always tells me to protect my behind when I use public toilets. And since this place doesn’t seem

super clean to me …

Yeah… ok.

But you’re not in the shitter now, ya

know?!! Ya in my living room. I think the rule applies.

Gross.

6

So if ya need to go potty,

Bah,no need to.

Dear Lewis. You’re a good for nothing.

A downright bastard.

Burn in hell! Sincerely,

Blockhead.

I know what he’s going to blab on about.

I think I’ll pass if ya catch my drift.

Here.

it’s that way …

You’re not going to read it?

He was some pirate, your grandad. Got

nothin’ to say ‘bout that.

We were more than friends

back in the day I tell ya ..

Hey now!

Don’t go imaginin’ all sorts o’ things!

What I meant was we was like brothers.

Like two peas in a pod. How can I

put it to ya? We

were like uh …

Batman and Robin! Ya young’uns heard of ‘em?

Batman and Robin?

As for the rest of it …

I didn’t know papa had a friend.

Yeah, that …

8

Of course! Alright, we were just

like ‘em. Except we was pirates.

Oh yeah? Sounds like it was fun.

That it was …

till the day it wasn’t.

What happened?

Bah. Classic story. Two

guys, one gal. Got crowded. Know what,

kid?

Yeah, yeah ... So? What ‘bout the boat? What

happened to her?

Friendship can survive many things. The sea, loneliness, and the worst storms. But it can’t survive a beautiful woman. No siree …

I was Batman, if ya catch me drift. I was the cooler of the two.

9

He sold her, I s’pose. Here, I’ll show you.

He left it to me.

Hey!

Uh …

Is that what the boat’s called?

Ya don’t even know the name of ya own boat. Oh my sea ..

She shoulda gone to me, that boat. I deserved her! What’ve you done to deserve ‘er? Huh? This here is a real

disaster. I gotta be dreamin. Yeah, that’s it. This is a

nightmare.

The Agraoba.

Pff.

He explained everything

in his letter.

You tellin’ me he left The Agraoba

to you!!!

Wake up, Lewis. Open ya eyes and it’ll be

over.

10

Oh well. Ya losin’ ya mind,

ya old fool.

It’s a good deal. Furnished and all. Ya won’t find anythin’ finer in town.

I ain’t dreamin. So ya really there.

Listen. You an I both know that you ain’t got what it takes to own The Agraoba. So you give

me the boat and imma give ya my cabin.

You’re funny, mister.

Hey there!

11

That’s nice of you. But no thank you. It’s a lost cause.

Go home, kid.

But mister …?

What?

Could you teach me how

to sail? I told ya to go

home.

Right.

I almost forgot.

What now?

You wouldn’t have the other half of

this by any chance would you?

Aaarrrgh.

12

That’s it.

Ya see that, Leo? We got

the map!!!

If I understand correctly,

you have the other half?

Do I ‘ave the other half? Bhwahaha! She’s askin if I

‘ave the other half …

We got the map.

Ya bet I do.

That’s the map.

13

Sorry, friend. Nap

time’s over.

It’s time to go.

You wait for me here.

I’ll be right back.

You won’t move, right?

No, no.

Tadaaah!

Ok

How do I look?

Whoa!

Time.

Deployed! Neutralize!

Doc, the map’s been activated.

At that same moment …

It’s about time …

The map had been pieced together again, which means the mission is back on. We’ll

need to intercept and neutralize it.

Like a million bucks! Thanks! Look!

Oh!

15

Velm

ÉDITIO

NS M

ICH

EL QU

INTIN

LE GRAND RETOUR

1

editionsmichelquintin.ca

After the death of her granddad Hector “Hard Head” Rondeau, Ava inherits his most valuable

possessions: a pirate ship called The Agraoba and one half of a treasure map.

What would a 13 year old do with such an heritage?