Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have more questions? Ask me! My address is at the bottom of the page.

In a nutshell, what's the story about?

As an endless and incomprehensible war rages in Lebanon, the land's ancestral guardians, the Cedars, admit the old ways are defeated by the scale of the conflict. To save the land, they send a guardian in the people's own likeness – a child who quickly grows into a young woman with a double challenge: to come into her own powers, and find out what she is supposed to do about this war. A war that seems to not be the work of humans alone...
How did it all begin?
The idea of a cedar-born child sent to bring the Lebanese population help and hope first came to me in 2001. At the time. I sketched pages 2 and 3 just as they are now, but I had no idea how to develop the idea further, nor was I equipped to embark on a full-fledge graphic novel. The sketches went into a drawer and slept there forgotten.
In September 2006, only a few days after I returned from weeks of war-driven exile, I was contacted by lebrecord.com and asked to participate in their quarterly project, the theme of which was The Lebanese Superhero. At first I planned to just do a one-off thing, with an illustration and a couple of pages to set the background, but the concept was taking care of itself by then, and before I knew it I had an ambitious saga on my hands, made quite current by the political events in Lebanon and the fear of a new civil war.
In April 2007, having completed 16 pages and gathered a sizeable audience, I built Malaak her own website.
In December 2007, the first volume was published and launched. Press reactions and some reader reviews are collected here. The rest, I hope, will be history!
Who's the author?
Joumana Medlej, born 9/11/1979, Beirut since always and forever, designer, illustrator, writer, martial artist, globetrotter... You can read more about me on my personal website, Cedarseed.com, or look up my resume.
About the story's setting: Is this supposed to take place during the civil war?
The setting is fictional. It's an alternate reality with no relation to the actual war, except thematically. The story is meant to be contemporary, and to still be contemporary 20 years from now.
What is Malaak's religion?
This was left deliberately obscure, but it's one topic on which I don't want assumptions to go rampant, so I am forced to answer it: Malaak was born of the land itself, and as such, she is an embodiement of natural forces far older than organized religion.

Why are her eyes green?
We all know the eyes are the window to the soul, so it's only appropriate that her power, which vibrates as a deep green, is expressed through her eyes.
This question raises an interesting issue though: Why would anyone be perturbed by a Lebanese fantasy character with green eyes (knowing that this is a fairly common eye color in Lebanon) but not even blink at foreign characters with eye, hair and skin color that defy human genetics?
Why does her costume have high heels?
It was designed by a guy (Adrian), what do you expect?
To be fair, it seems he knew what he was doing: several martial art stances are easier when the heel is off the floor, so as long as they're stable (as is the case here), shoes with raised heels are actually a help, not a hindrance.
Why should I buy the printed version when I can read it all online?
Several good reasons!
1. This is not a webcomic. It is made to be printed, so the colors and details look their best in print. In fact, the whole thing looks SMASHING in print.
2. The pages posted online are only semifinal. I make final corrections for print only.
3. A printed book can be yours, yours, yours, and autographed to boot.
4. There's always bonus, unposted material in the printed books.
5. Part of the proceeds go to charity.
6. The rest of the proceeds goes to printing the next volume, which feeds the fledgling Lebanese graphic novel scene – so you see, it's all for a good cause!
7. Did I mention how much better it looks in print?