Welcome to the official website of graphic novel Holy Land: Resistance.

You’ll find all sorts of useful about HL:R, who created it, and how to get in touch with us if that’s what you want to do.

We’re currently seeking a publisher or a literary agent for Holy Land: Resistance. If you can help, please get in touch.

The story

Written by Christophe Philipps and illustrated by Simon Newbury, Holy Land: Resistance is a dystopian thriller with Holocaust overtones set in 2093.

HL:R is a terrifying, all-too-possible vision of the future. Drawing on contemporary phenomena – notably, the War on Terror, systems of power, the rhetoric of fear, religious fundamentalism, subjugation and misogyny, and the political rivalry we see every day around the world but are powerless to control – it charts the fight for power within Christian fundamentalist regime The Path, for freedom by the Magdalene insurgency, for acceptance by the beautiful but broken Bethlehem Christi, and for redemption by a fallen angel named Andeo Cuvar.

An epic for our times, it is a self-contained story in an immersive world.

Blurb

Holy Land: Resistance is intend it as part one of a trilogy – Resistance, Redemption, and Rapture – though there is scope for further stories.

To find out how the trilogy (and related stories) will play out, you’ll need to read the completed works – we’re giving nothing more away (and wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise).

Market

Holy Land: Resistance is aimed at the same market as that of Alan Moore and Dave McKean, although it also has strong appeal for a female readership. It resonates with mature audiences and the wider graphic novel fan market alike.

Through the central character of Protector Bethlehem Christi it has a strong female character in whom female readers can identify. While it deals with the theme of religion, it is more accurately described as exploring the mechanics and corruption of faith. It therefore appeals to theists and atheists alike.

Early indications from test audiences and readers of the specimen chapters, synopsis and blurb have proved extremely positive.

Tone & Style

We have developed a very naturalistic graphic style to complement the maturity of the story.

In particular, illustrator Simon Newbury has ‘cast’ the characters with real people to help create a realism which adds a grounded sense of character/reader identification, pathos and tension as the story unfolds. We have also created a vivid setting, developing the future cityscape of Holy London, the Grand Cathedral and, conversely, the desolated underground system where the Magdalene insurgency are based, into fully-realised world at once identifiable, imaginative and memorable.

Through this naturalistic and mature graphic style, the complexities of Holy Land: Resistance play out to chilling effect, while also making it a comment on our modern world.

To see some conceptual artwork and gain a deeper insight into our creative process and graphical development, click here.

Inception

In 2005 Christophe Philipps wrote a screenplay entitled Holy Land: Protectors of the Faith as his undergraduate degree final project, mentored by bestselling novelists Sam North and Alison Habens. His intention was to explore the mechanisms of power, control and fundamentalism – drawing on current events on the world stage – while simultaneously crafting a plausible, imaginative, suspenseful and memorable vision of the future.

Christophe has since worked with his longstanding creative partner, illustrator Simon Newbury, to develop the story for the graphic novel medium, affecting a change of name to Holy Land: Resistance to reflect the modified sensibilities and maturity of the narrative. Now working from a revised full script, it has been a true collaboration, with both writer and artist bringing their skills to the fold and helping to update, refine and deepen the story as a whole.

In developing the graphic novel adaptation, we draw inspiration from graphic novelists Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller and Eddie Campbell, from a host of literary works including George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We, Franz Kafka’s The Trial and Albert Camous’ The Plague, and from films and TV including Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and the Terminator and Alien series.

By far the biggest influence, however, continues to be the world around us – as disseminated through the media, politics, and organised religion – and especially that most valuable thing: Human nature.

Read more about writer Christophe Philipps and artist Simon Newbury here.

Next steps

For Holy Land: Resistance to reach its intended audience – and be the commercial and critical success we believe it will be – we need a literary agent to champion the piece to publishers, or a publishing house to bring it to print and distribution.

If you are a literary agent or publisher and would like to help, we have developed specimen chapters and a synopsis, as well as full character biographies, conceptual artwork, background materials, chapter breakdowns, chronology – and, of course, online promotion starting with this website. We would be happy to send these upon request.

Contact us here.