Soroush Barazesh, also known online as Koteri Ink, is a comic artist and writer of Iranian ancestry from Toronto. He studied at Sheridan College. He initially self-published his debut work Kings of Nowhere. He created a short animation (1:10) of Kings of Nowhere as his final year thesis project at Sheridan College. The film can be viewed on Vimeo. The graphic novel was reissued by Dark Horse Comics.
Fiction (Graphic novel)
Kings of Nowhere. Volume 1.
Dark Horse Books, 2022.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From distributor Penguin Random House Publishing website)
In a world where humans transform into beasts, a boy outcast from society must carve his own path in the criminal underworld.
Bili is the son of a notorious gangster, but his quiet and lonesome demeanor makes him an easy target for local thugs. When an unexpected beating takes a ruthless turn, Bili is overcome with intense rage and trauma—transforming him into his chimera form—into that of an ape. As he struggles to cope with his new life, he faces ever growing challenges—from confronting his hatred for his father to learning how to thrive in the unforgiving slums ruled by crime lords and corruption. With the aid of new comrades, Hamed a baboon and Zatoichi a blind monkey, Bili embarks on a life of purpose—a life of cold, unapologetic vengeance against each of those who have taken a piece of him—who he once was . . . and what he will ultimately become.
Fiction (Graphic novel)
Kings of Nowhere. Volume 2.
Dark Horse Books, 2023.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From distributor Penguin Random House website)
In a world where humans transform into beasts, a boy outcast from society must carve his own path in the criminal underworld.
Bili is the son of a notorious gangster, but his quiet and lonesome demeanor makes him an easy target for local thugs. When an unexpected beating takes a ruthless turn, Bili is overcome with intense rage and trauma—transforming him into his chimera form—into that of an ape. As he struggles to cope with his new life, he faces ever growing challenges—from confronting his hatred for his father to learning how to thrive in the unforgiving slums ruled by crime lords and corruption. With the aid of new comrades, Hamed a baboon and Zatoichi a blind monkey, Bili embarks on a life of purpose—a life of cold, unapologetic vengeance against each of those who have taken a piece of him—who he once was . . . and what he will ultimately become.
Fiction (Graphic novel)
Kings of Nowhere. Volume 3
forthcoming
Synopsis
As the dust settled from his epic battle against the Tundra Renegades, Bass, broken and bruised, rescued the young orphan Dante. Despite his steely resolve, Bass knew that he couldn’t keep the boy by his side without risking the child’s life. Left behind to fend for himself, Dante falls into the clutches of the nefarious SD Ultra gang, known for their use of child soldiers. Now, with Dante’s life on the line, Bass must embark on a perilous mission into the eye of the storm. Our hero will face off against unyielding chimeras and must overcome the demons of his past on his quest to rescue Dante and break the curse that has plagued him since childhood.
Links
Koteri Ink personal website currently undergoing redevelopment
Distributor Penguin Random House