Setting out to explore the remote Outlands of Crutonia are the brave and multifarious crew of the H.M.S. Gwaniimander, under the command of Captain Quenterindy Quirk—a leader whose confidence exceeds his competence by several lengths of his own bushy tail.

Quirk’s voyage of discovery is quickly plunged into disaster and mystery, as the expedition encounters carnivorous giants, an unstable sorceress, and a valley of indestructible creatures. With the crew decimated, the ship destroyed, and a malign force plotting worse fortune, can Quirk and his compatriots hold together their royal mission?

Vividly illustrated and starring a cunningly designed cast of characters, Into the Outlands is a tale of adventure in a fully-imagined fantasy world ripe for exploration. This first graphic novel of Quirk’s Quest includes an illustrated roster of the important characters, a guide to the intrepid Sxervian Frog Brigade, and mission map of the Outlands.

Growing up on Long Island, Robert Christie spent most of his waking hours obsessively drawing anything and everything, except cars. While taking cover from a lunchroom food fight, he met Deborah Lang, and shortly thereafter they conspired to create Crutonia. Ever since, they have been writing stories set in their quirky, made-up world. After earning his BFA in St. Louis, he moved to Jersey City, where he makes his living as an illustrator, painter, and prop maker for major motion pictures, Broadway, and fashion photo shoots. He has been writing and further developing Crutonia with Deborah for more than three decades, and Into the Outlands is their first published graphic novel.

Deborah Lang is a cartoonist, scientific illustrator, and molecular biologist. She was born in New York City but eventually moved to Long Island purely to meet up with Rob Christie to create Crutonia. Her earliest published drawings include advertisements in Pennysaver and monthly comic strips in her college newspaper. She has published illustrations and papers in international science journals. Deborah spent many years in Philadelphia during college and grad school and presently lives in Chicago.