Alicia Keys is on fire as she launches her latest venture: a graphic novel based on her 2012 single “Girl On Fire.” Written by Keys and Andrew Weiner with illustrations by Brittney Williams, the book of the same name serves as the Grammy winner’s first graphic novel.
A synopsis for the story reads: “Lolo Wright always thought she was just a regular fourteen-year-old dealing with regular family drama: her brother, James, is struggling with his studies; her dad’s business constantly teeters on the edge of trouble; and her mother . . . she left long ago. But then Lolo’s world explodes when a cop pulls a gun on James in a dangerous case of mistaken identities. Staring down the barrel, with no one else to help, Lolo discovers powers she never knew she had. Using only her mind, she literally throws the cop out of the way.”
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As she comes into her powers, Lolo is forced to take on various antagonists that desire to use her powers for their own selfish gain. But, she’s not willing to let these neighborhood villains harm her or her community –– and she doesn’t go down without a fight.
“‘Girl On Fire‘ is such a special song … I mean, who knew that this song would have this kind of energy, that it would hold and create. [The book] has been in the works for about five years,” Keys tells CNN of the project. “You go on to discover more about her [Lolo], her family and the neighborhood and who she’s actually battling. I think the metaphor is that we all have a superpower and what are we gonna do with it? You know, how are we gonna discover it?”
When the inspiration song behind the book has such success, going five-times platinum and the album debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, how could a superhero story of the same tone not do as well? Keys already has bigger plans for this story including an on-screen treatment for a potential film or television series.
“Some people are very good at the novel situation and can kind of have their imagination run wild. Some people really want to be immersed in a world that they can see the color and they can read it on the page,” Keys said. “I think that does lend itself very much to potential films, potential series, all these pieces of this incredible girl Lolo that represent all of us.”
