This summer Humanoids will publish SHY NINJA, a heartwarming tale written by father and daughter duo Ricardo and Adara Sanchez and illustrated by artist Arianna Florean. SHY NINJA is a graphic novel about a shy adolescent girl who finds her inner potential while combating her social anxiety disorder… at a local School for Ninjas.
Young Rena suffers from social anxiety disorder. It keeps her from engaging at school, from hanging out with her best friend in person, or participating in any sort of group activity. Pressed by her mother to find some social outlet, she enrolls in a School for Ninjas as a joke—and in an instant, her life changes.
Rena’s instructor, the mysterious Dysart, tells her that she may actually be the heir to an ancient prophecy that will return the Ninja to prominence. Dysart tells Rena she will become the Ninja legend known as “The Ghost”—but only if she can conquer her fears. Assuming she can even get past her own anxieties, will Rena help Dysart return the Ninja to their former glory… or is Dysart planning to exploit Rena for his own cryptic aims?
I was lucky enough to get the chance to send along a few questions to creator Ricardo Sanchez about this fun story.
How did you and your daughter come up with the idea?
The basic idea for Shy Ninja was all Adara. I was driving with Adara, who was 13 at the time, to San Diego Comic-Con when she told me about her idea for a girl who takes an online correspondence course to become a ninja. And when she told me the name, it was one of those concepts that every writer hears and thinks, I wish I’d thought of that! The story has evolved a bit since then, of course. Now Shy Ninja is the story of Rena, a girl with social anxiety disorder who struggles to leave the house or engage with friends. She initially sees the art of ninjitsu as a way to continue to stay hidden, hide in the shadows; but as she develops her skills she also gains the confidence she needs to start getting better and take on the story’s villain.
How’s it working with your kid?
Collaborating with Adara is a blast. Her creativity is off the charts, and completely different than how I think about story, so she really pushes me to be a better writer. This is actually the second comic we’ve done together. The first was for a comic based on Boo the Dog (if you’re a fan of celebrity internet dogs, you know who I’m talking about.) But that was several years ago. Getting to do it a second time was even more rewarding, because she’s really developed her own aesthetic since then.
How have comics affected your relationship?
Comics have been a really fun way for the two of us to connect over the years. When she was younger, I’d go comic shop diving for fun things for her to read, and when I’d come back from Comic-Con, I’d always have books and art from friends to give her. I don’t think that inspired her interest in art, but it definitely stoked her interest in Cons. COVID era aside, going to cons together is one of our things, and probably not something we’d have without a mutual enthusiasm for comics.
Any plans for more collaborations with your daughter?
If Shy Ninja does well, Adara has some ideas for a sequel that I love! I’ve also thought about adapting her Mutant Zoo ideas. She has an idea she’s working on now that might be a really fun book, but she hasn’t shared it yet on weirdsquidkreature, her Instagram profile, so I can’t talk about it too much. But the bottom line is her story ideas are very different than what I might come up with on my own, so working with her is definitely something I’d hope to do again!
