As a big comic book fan, I had the privilege of attending the launch of NYU Abu Dhabi’s newest coming-of-age graphic novel, partnered with the Center of Astrophysics and Space Science (CASS). The graphic novel, inspired by real astrophysics, is written by recent NYUAD graduate Zhiyu Solstice Luo and current senior, Syed Fahad Rizwan, whom I also had the pleasure of interviewing.

Nova of Celestoria is set in a sci-fi galactic world where all characters are stars. The novel follows Nova, a seventeen-year-old student at Luminara Academy who aims to become the brightest star in the universe. His ambition, however, leads him to “accidentally [ignite] an ancient terrifying prophecy,” as Fahad described it, which now threatens to eclipse the whole of Celestoria, the planet-esque home Nova lives in. In response, Nova has to save the world using his scientific knowledge from Luminara Academy, and the support of those closest to him - his mother, his best friend, Vega, and her starry-eyed cat, Galileo.

The launch took place on May 2nd at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, where seats were packed with guests. The event began with Publishing Director, Andrea Valerio Macciò, a current professor of physics at NYUAD, introducing the novel's purpose. He centered his speech on curiosity, arguing that while kids are naturally curious, the trait fades as they grow up – a loss he identified as a fundamental problem. The goal of the graphic novel was to bring back this curiosity by making science more accessible.

Bianca Arkeen, managing editor and production manager, recounted that she borrowed comics from the library, which is likely why she developed the idea of a graphic novel in the first place. She also made sure to credit Rover Studios, who worked on the illustrations, and Quint Studios, who worked on design and made the final cover for the novel.

Moe Abbas, editor and contributor to the novel, was slightly confused when Andrea came to him with the idea of a comic. But then he quickly came to see the potential of a graphic novel as a way to bring astronomy to the public. He also explained the thought process behind picking stars as the novel's astrological focus. After several discussions, the team decided first to examine the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram which examines the brightness of stars in relation to their temperature. He was interested in connecting the scientific basis for how stars live and die to the qualities of human beings, which is why the novel's characters are stars.

NYUAD Research Scientist and Contributor to the novel, Jasmina Blecic, claimed that the motivation of the book was to “connect fun with science”. However, she emphasized that she did not want CASS to stop at ideas related to stars and planets but expand to further ideas in astronomy and astrophysics, including galaxies or black holes, to make the institution unique in its outreach and engagement.

Fahad and Solstice then took the stage to introduce themselves and the novel. They read a short scene from the novel's original script to give the audience a piece of the book that was gifted to them. Soon after, guests were prompted to take their copies of Nova of Celestoria to the front to get them signed by both authors. While I was very grateful to attend the launch, interviews were necessary to dive deeper into the inspirations behind Nova’s story, the publication process, and to get insight from the students who wrote the novel.

Interestingly, neither Fahad nor Solstice had any formal background in astrophysics when pursuing this novel. At the time, Solstice was studying Literature and Creative Writing, and Fahad was and still is studying Film. They both came across a job posting on Handshake from CASS looking for writers for a graphic novel and decided to apply.

“It was one of those jobs that, as a non-physics student, you don’t even want to click apply,” Fahad stated. He expressed that, initially, he thought, “I’m not going to be accepted into this.” But, as a longtime reader of graphic novels and watcher of animated series, he “realized that so many of these movies that I thought filmmakers should get lots of credit for were actually movies that were directly adapted from comics and graphic novels, and that just deepened my appreciation for them. The answer for him became clear. “Of course, I want to do this.”

Solstice was drawn to the project by her passion for creative writing. She explained how she used to write poetry, was the Editor-in-Chief for the Gazelle, and had written a novel for a class, so she got excited when she saw that there was a creative writing opportunity. “Finally, they’re (...) hiring for creative writers. (...) That doesn’t really happen a lot, right?”

Both authors explained that they thought the novel would be a “sidequest,” a word Solstice likes to use to describe this journey, but then it quickly turned into a “very main quest,” as Fahad characterized it. Fahad and Solstice were very up-front and honest regarding their lack of knowledge of physics, so CASS allowed them to attend classes during the first month working on the book. "And then after we had absorbed those concepts," Fahad stated, "(...), we were like: Okay, now how do we make sure that we create a fictional storyline? And that's where Nova came in.”

Publishing the novel took more than two years. It took the authors about a year to write the script and then a little more than a year to complete the illustrations. The illustrations were done by Rover Studios, located in Vietnam, and began last year around May. In the process of finding an illustrator, Fahad and Solstice found 5-6 different studios but ultimately settled on Rover Studios since they illustrated the entire first chapter for free. Fahad expressed his and Solstice’s excitement when Rover Studios sent the sample for the first chapter. “We were like: Okay, first of all, we love their dedication. Second of all, they have [an] amazing art style”.

However, there were some challenges that turned into educational opportunities in publishing the novel. Fahad explained that he and Solstice underestimated the impact of the language barrier in illustrations, as most of the artists at Rover Studios did not speak English. Solstice and Fahad would send their feedback in English, and Rover Studios would try to translate it to the best of their abilities. Still, there would be imperfect translations occasionally, especially when it came to scenes that required more emotional depth, which Rover Studios would capture differently from how Fahad and Solstice envisioned it. Fahad commented, “(...) It was a lot of back and forth, but it was one of the best lessons in communication that I think both of us could have had. (...) We had to articulate our thoughts on their work as precisely as possible. (...) [It felt] like a writing assignment for us,” to which Solstice agreed.

Solstice also mentioned that this was her first time working with a co-writer for an extended period. “We have different styles and we have different expectations, and so when we were trying to work this out, I really (...) learned a lot.” She saw these differences between her and Fahad as more of a learning experience rather than a challenge. She expressed how working with Fahad to learn from the other side of the creative industry, Film. "He really taught me a lot about how to write a script that’s captivating,” she said.

However, what she found hard was “(...) translating the scientific concepts without feeling too abrupt, without feeling like a lecture", but she did find creative solutions to that issue. “I really learned a lot during the process,” Solstice explained. She stated that working on this graphic novel taught her the structure of a comic book and how to evoke the feeling of certain emotions in the format of a graphic novel, like tension and suspense.

In terms of the characters, Solstice described Nova as Fahad’s “brainchild” and Vega as hers.

“I would say Nova is, of course, based on my own experience, but it’s also very universal (...),” Fahad stated. The readers start to get to know Nova at the start of Chapter Two when he begins attending Luminara Academy. Fahad informed me that Nova, like any person starting in a new environment, is meeting new people and trying to get accustomed to everything happening around him. He’s also trying his best to meet the expectations that he has for himself and those of his mom, all while trying to make the most out of his experience at Luminara Academy. “(...) Going into a new place, figuring out your place there, and just trying to be the best version of yourself, I would say that that’s what Nova is set out to do. And I hope that’s the story of a lot of us (...), just trying to be our best selves”.

Solstice explained to me her deep connection with Nova’s best friend, Vega. Not because Vega necessarily shared similar qualities with Solstice, but because Vega reflected a certain part of teenage psychology. Solstice described her as both insecure and strong. “I guess I created her because she wasn’t a typical sunny, outgoing jockey teenager (...) She’s quieter, she’s more reflective”. Solstice voiced to me that traditionally, teenagers are portrayed as either happy or depressed. “There is nothing in between. There’s no resilience”, an important quality that Vega has. Solstice sees Vega as a non-typical teenager who reflects the reality of teenagers' lives, with all their complexity. “She’s, I guess, just who I really wanted to be as a teenager. I wish I was that wise or reflective or just gentler with myself”.

When asked what the authors hoped readers would take away from Nova of Celestoria, both authors took a long pause to reflect on the best answer. Solstice replied, “I guess for Nova, his major growth comes from (...) him facing his past mistakes and rectifying [them]. So I guess the main thing that I would say [is]: it’s never too late to improve yourself. (...) There’s no perfect answer to everything.” “But you keep living (...) regardless,” Fahad added.

“Quality learning happens both inside and outside the classroom,” Fahad stated. “So you really have to be open to that, because Nova, of course, learns lots of things in his formal curriculum, but then when he steps out and he confronts all these different challenges head on, that's where I think he gets the opportunity to materialize and (...) implement everything that he's learned. (...) That makes him grow in a way that he probably couldn't have if he had only stuck to what he was taught in the classroom”.

In addition to the launch event on May 2nd, the novel was also presented at the Middle East Film and Comic Con that happened in April. The official countrywide release is scheduled for August 1st and will be available in all major bookstores in the UAE. Fahad also mentioned that they would release an Arabic version later in the year, likely in the fall, as confirmed by Bianca.

In regards to a sequel, Fahad mentioned that “(...) depending on how much [readers] connect with it, (...) that’s when the possibility of a second version starts to get discussed”. Both authors stated that they would love to work on a sequel. So for fans of comics, astrophysics, or both, be sure to check the novel out when it gets officially released!