The King's Ankus – from the Second Jungle Book
An ancient object, the ankus, unleashes a trail of blood in the heart of the Indian jungle. Only the intelligence and intuition of the intrepid Mowgli can stop human folly. This gripping comic, packed with action and mystery, masterfully adapts one of the most fascinating episodes from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book . With a dynamic and engaging graphic style, The King's Ankus offers a powerful journey of adventure and reflection.
A great classic comes to life in a vibrant new form.
Some more info
Based on Rudyard Kipling's collection The Second Jungle Book , "The King's Ankus" represents one of the most intense episodes, rich in emotional tension and symbolic meaning, of the entire Mowgli series. In this refined graphic novel adaptation, the evocative power of the original tale merges with the expressive power of visual language, resulting in a work that manages to combine fidelity to the text with creative freedom with surprising balance.
The illustrations, dense with atmosphere and detail, sensitively translate Kipling's key themes—ethics, power, human greed, the relationship with nature—presenting them with a fresh perspective, capable of deeply engaging even the contemporary reader.
A timeless classic that, thanks to this pictorial reinterpretation, finds new life, offering a powerful, contemporary, and memorable narrative experience.
Authors' Bio
Author: Rudyard Kipling (Bombay 1865–1936) is one of the greatest writers and poets of English literature. Famous for The Jungle Book , he recounted childhood, empire, and adventure with extraordinary imagination. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907, he was the youngest author to receive it. His work explores themes of colonialism, identity, and growing up, leaving a profound mark on world literature.
Screenwriter: Maurizio Castellaro (Genoa, 1964). A teacher and social worker, he became interested in Disney thanks to Giovan Battista Carpi, and in the early 1990s he wrote the screenplay for two stories published in «Topolino». In 2017, he wrote the screenplay for the short story «Madri» , published in «La Lettura» of «Corriere della Sera». For the blog «Viandanti delle nebbie», he publishes «Ariette» , short texts on self-therapeutic relief. He lives in Ovada, in the province of Alessandria.
Artist: Alessandro Zunino (Genoa, 1964) began his career as an illustrator and photographer in 1992. He collaborated with various Italian and international publishers before turning to photojournalism around the world, especially in Southeast Asia. In 2013, he directed a feature film in Italy and Laos, titled Lost in Laos, distributed by Cinecittà Istituto Luce. He resumed his work as an illustrator in 2020, illustrating his travels with sketchbooks, before turning to graphic novels.
An ancient object, the ankus, unleashes a trail of blood in the heart of the Indian jungle. Only the intelligence and intuition of the intrepid Mowgli can stop human folly. This gripping comic, packed with action and mystery, masterfully adapts one of the most fascinating episodes from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book . With a dynamic and engaging graphic style, The King's Ankus offers a powerful journey of adventure and reflection.
A great classic comes to life in a vibrant new form.
Some more info
Based on Rudyard Kipling's collection The Second Jungle Book , "The King's Ankus" represents one of the most intense episodes, rich in emotional tension and symbolic meaning, of the entire Mowgli series. In this refined graphic novel adaptation, the evocative power of the original tale merges with the expressive power of visual language, resulting in a work that manages to combine fidelity to the text with creative freedom with surprising balance.
The illustrations, dense with atmosphere and detail, sensitively translate Kipling's key themes—ethics, power, human greed, the relationship with nature—presenting them with a fresh perspective, capable of deeply engaging even the contemporary reader.
A timeless classic that, thanks to this pictorial reinterpretation, finds new life, offering a powerful, contemporary, and memorable narrative experience.
Authors' Bio
Author: Rudyard Kipling (Bombay 1865–1936) is one of the greatest writers and poets of English literature. Famous for The Jungle Book , he recounted childhood, empire, and adventure with extraordinary imagination. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907, he was the youngest author to receive it. His work explores themes of colonialism, identity, and growing up, leaving a profound mark on world literature.
Screenwriter: Maurizio Castellaro (Genoa, 1964). A teacher and social worker, he became interested in Disney thanks to Giovan Battista Carpi, and in the early 1990s he wrote the screenplay for two stories published in «Topolino». In 2017, he wrote the screenplay for the short story «Madri» , published in «La Lettura» of «Corriere della Sera». For the blog «Viandanti delle nebbie», he publishes «Ariette» , short texts on self-therapeutic relief. He lives in Ovada, in the province of Alessandria.
Artist: Alessandro Zunino (Genoa, 1964) began his career as an illustrator and photographer in 1992. He collaborated with various Italian and international publishers before turning to photojournalism around the world, especially in Southeast Asia. In 2013, he directed a feature film in Italy and Laos, titled Lost in Laos, distributed by Cinecittà Istituto Luce. He resumed his work as an illustrator in 2020, illustrating his travels with sketchbooks, before turning to graphic novels.
