This week we will feature several inspirations behind our “Finnian and the Seven Mountains” series.
The second inspiration behind our series is the legendary Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien.
I first was initiated into Middle-Earth when I was in junior-high. Like many others in the year 2001, amidst the hype of the movie adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, I decided to ask for the one volume Lord of the Rings for Christmas. Upon receiving it, I went ahead and read the whole book, from The Fellowship of the Ring to The Return of the King by the end of the school year. This was the first substantial fantasy novel I ever read.
After that moment I was hooked.
I wanted to know more. I proceeded to purchase The Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion. In addition to learning more about the mythological realm of Middle-Earth, I also bought a biography on J.R.R. Tolkien and was fascinated by his life and his devout Catholic faith. At the time I was experiencing my own inner conversion to the Christian faith and so reading his biography proved to strengthen my own faith.
Through this exposure, I was brought to understand the power of Fairy Tales and how they are meant to take us out of the ordinariness of life to see the world in a new way. The world around me began to teem with life and history. By delving into Middle-Earth, I began to see that my life was indeed a part of an even greater Story and that I had a role to play just like Frodo and Sam.
The influences in our new comic book series are woven throughout. Maps play a big role in the Middle-Earth and so too in Finnian and the Seven Mountains. We followed the advice of J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote, “I wisely started with a map and made the story fit.”
Also, a legendary “sword” is featured in both and you will see in Issue #2 more similarities in this regard.
The new character, Merewyn, is very much inspired by the character Eowyn, the Shield-Maiden of Rohan. Both are rooted in “Anglo-Saxon” culture and prove to be worthy opponents of evil.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Here is what others are saying about it!
“Let Kosloski and Lavoy take you back to the real history of the island of Irish monks we saw in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and then watch them layer an epic yarn on top of it.” — Matt Forbeck, The Marvel Encyclopedia, New York Times-bestselling author
“FINNIAN AND THE SEVEN MOUNTAINS by Philip Kosloski and Michael Lavoy bring us a taste of Irish lore. And we want more.” — ComicsVerse
“Featuring mystery, high-stakes adventure, and breathtaking art, this first installment of Finnian and the Seven Mountains is sure to enchant readers, young and old alike. I can’t wait to see where this saga takes us!” — Brandon Hale, bestselling author of Prince Martin Wins His Sword.
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of the comic book series, Finnian and the Seven Mountains.