[PRESS RELEASE] THERE WILL BE GIANTS: DEBUT FANTASY SERIES TANARAYA BRINGS IN NEW HEROINES FOR A CLIMATE IN CRISIS

2 September 2026, Singapore — Giants are stomping onto shelves this September with Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer, the first of Indonesian creator Kathrinna R.’s multi-volume middle-grade fantasy graphic novel series that explores themes of climate change through a magic and myth-fuelled adventure. Set to release on 2 October by Singapore-based independent publisher Difference Engine, this marks Kathrinna R.’s debut graphic novel in English, and the beginning of an epic journey that follows three young heroines as they unravel the truth behind Tanaraya’s history, its natural disasters, and the mythological Yaksas that once roamed its lands.

Inspired by Javanese folklore and Indonesian landscapes, Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer sends readers back to the historic coastal communities of Southeast Asia where people thrived off both land and sea. Indonesia, home to thousands of islands full of diverse wildlife and nature that also suffers from frequent natural disasters, is transformed by Kathrinna R. into the fantastical archipelago of Tanaraya where myth and magic are imbued in its soil. 

In Tanaraya, land-based Underland boasts breathtaking landscapes and natural diversity, coexisting with the pristine, city-like floating queendom of Ang Kha Sa. However, they are intertwined by fraught histories passed down from generation to generation such as the story of the Yaksa War, a tumultuous time when the fight against Yaksa giants waged for a century with Underland as their battlefield, leaving it in environmental chaos that has persisted since its end. 

Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer begins with Emas, the young princess of Ang Kha Sa, who has always lived safely away from the calamities below until she is suddenly kidnapped. As her escape takes her towards Underland, she meets orphaned sisters Mera and Puti who teach her about life on land and the myth of the Yaksa Slayer – a very different story than what Emas has been told back in Ang Kha Sa. Celebrated in the Sky Nation as a magical hero and protector who stopped the Yaksa War by defeating the terrible giants, Mera and Puti believe the Yaksas to actually be nature’s guardians, and that their destruction at the hands of the Yaksa Slayer is the cause of Underland’s disasters.

Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer mirrors the environmental issues facing our own world while weaving in twists and turns that draw intrepid young readers into its unravelling lore. As Emas untangles the Underland she sees with what she’s been told, she discovers more questions than answers: What do her kidnappers want with her? What is Ang Kha Sa’s real role in the Yaksa War? What actually are the Yaksas, and are they really the cause of the climate changes that threaten life in Underland? At the same time, Emas holds onto a dark secret that she’s been keeping from Mera and Puti, her two new best friends… that she is the Yaksa Slayer.

The answers Emas must find and the threat of her identity being discovered by Mera and Puti make Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer a high-stakes adventure, perfect for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Mapmakers series. Kathrinna R.’s manga style illustrations shine especially in action-packed scenes where Emas goes up against Yaksa giants that take the form of fearsome sea creatures or chimeric beasts many times her size. Blending these “spicepunk” elements inspired by Southeast Asian culture with the tropes of Western fantasy and manga’s visual storytelling, Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer has much to offer young readers who are hungry for stories of all kinds across genres and styles. 

Kathrinna R. reflects, “I grew up reading fantasy adventure stories around Western myths, so Tanaraya is me putting my own cultural spin on the genre that I enjoy the most – combined with the action and light comedy of Japanese manga that I also read a lot of.” For readers not yet familiar with Indonesian myths, the graphic novel also includes an introduction to the Indonesian folktales of “Timun Mas” and “Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih” which have inspired the three main characters. Easter eggs and references to other Indonesian myths can also be discovered throughout the graphic novel.

But might and magic are not the only ways to fell giants. While Mera and Puti may not be sword-wielding warriors like Emas, their tinkering skills as inventors and bravery to speak out empowers them to fight for Underland’s future as the trio travels on Mera and Puti’s house on wheels. With their whimsical inventions, comedic dynamic, and gung-ho spirit, these strong and independent young girls are the start of the change that Underland needs as they uncover the real “giants” that must be slayed.

Beyond the thrill of monsters and magical powers, Kathrinna R. sees middle-grade comics as the start of conversations about climate change. “Fantasy stories are often about war and defeating monsters and evil kings,” Kathrinna R. shares. “But I think humanity now has an even bigger threat: the collapse of our planet’s ecosystem. I want to talk about it through the Tanaraya series.” Like many young readers, Kathrinna R.’s heroines also face difficult choices to make in a world constructed by adults, whether it’s questioning who gets to write history, rethinking our relationship with the environment, or finding a way to change things for the better in an increasingly precarious world. 

Difference Engine’s Co-Founder and Publisher Felicia Low-Jimenez adds, “Even as adults, we can often feel powerless in the face of what goes on in the world. Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer is the kind of story we need right now – one that brings adults and children together in collective conversation about our future and the choices we can make towards that.”

The Tanaraya series will continue in the second book, Tanaraya: Quest for Waveherd Village, with release expected in the first half of 2027.

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Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer retails at $18.90 SGD (w/o GST) and is now available for preorder in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei till 2 October 2026 through Difference Engine’s webstore: www.differenceengine.sg

Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer will also be available internationally in April 2027, distributed by Consortium Book Services & Distribution. Head to differenceengine.sg/intl/ for more information on international releases.

Download the Tanaraya: The Yaksa Slayer press kit here.

Follow Difference Engine on:
Website: https://differenceengine.sg/
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For enquiries, contact:
Olivia Djawoto
Marketing and Communications Manager, Difference Engine
olivia@differenceengine.sg

About the Creator

Kathrinna Rakhmavika, also known as Nana, is an Indonesian comics author and illustrator. She loves to create works that depict her  country’s diverse culture, engage mindful and critical thinking, and respond to various social and environmental issues. She has published several fiction titles locally and occasionally creates short comics that can be viewed on her Instagram account, @gambarnana. 

About Difference Engine

Difference Engine is an award-winning independent comics publisher based in Singapore. Powered by stories from Southeast Asia and beyond, we are inspired by diverse, thought-provoking tales told through captivating illustrations by creators both new and experienced.

Like how the invention of the difference engine impacted the world, our goal is to create comics that nudge readers to look at the world differently. As a team of creators ourselves, we see each comic as a collaboration, a conversation, and an opportunity to experiment beyond the printed form to push the boundaries of what comics can be.

In addition to our main publishing line, Difference Engine also publishes DE Shorts, an imprint of short comics that explores a wide range of social issues through lived experience.

Difference Engine is a Potato Productions company co-founded by Felicia Low-Jimenez and Lee Han Shih.