Overview

""Sci-fi that might just save you.""-Black Nerd Problems ""Immediately engrossing . . . powerful.""-Multiverse of Color ""The textured world . . . does a job of messing with your head as your brain sees these stylized images and instantly associates them with a kid's bedtime book, if they were Guillermo del Toro or Tim Burton.""-The Comics Beat ""Mustard pairs a heady script with Filomena's introspective paintings in this gloomy-mythic tale set in a bleak futuristic version of Los Angeles.""-Publishers Weekly Set in a future-adjacent, alternative Los Angeles, this is a story of staggering poverty, drugs, and violence and of an artistic child who finds beauty in the ugly and sublime hope in our conflicts. HYBREDshows us how in our most marginalized communities lies an astonishing amount of genius which goes unnoticed and is so often tragically wasted. Nine-year-old Johnny James lives in The Casque, the poorest neighborhood in Greater Angeles, where he shares a one-room apartment with his mother, stepfather, two brothers, and an army of cockroaches. He spends his days in the sweltering heat of the neighborhood, at the movie theaters, playing tackleball, or drawing but there's no money for him to go to school. As death, addiction, and violence swirl through the neighborhood, Johnny grows up with friends, adventures, and magic around him. And he discovers how to use art, beauty, and personal strength to transcend the forces destined to hold him back.

Full Product Details

9781951491437

Table of Contents

Reviews

“A once-in-a-generation brute force narrative brought to life. Essential reading and BRILLIANT!” —Tim Fielder, author of Inifinitum: An Aftrofuturist Tale and founder of Dieselfunk Studios ”A surreal story imbued with an unnerving glow. It's about art and escape, possibilities and pain and it lingers with you long after you read it, like a dream.” —Badiucao and Melissa Chan, authors of You Must Take Part in Revolution “Haunting and beautifully illustrated, Hybred is a raw and poetic vision of childhood resilience. With every page, it reveals the genius hidden in forgotten places and the beauty that grows in even the harshest soil.” —Joel Christian Gill, author of Stamped from the Beginning “With expansive world building, evocative prose, and unflinching futuristic artwork, this book is a heart-wrenching exploration of the life-saving power of art.” —Maria Sweeney, author of Brittle Joints

Author Information

Jamie Mustard is an artist, a futurist, and a writer with a focus on perception in the physical world. Growing up in severe poverty and illiteracy in inner city Los Angeles, Jamie overcame obstacles to graduate from the London School of Economics. He currently works as a strategic multi-media consultant, teacher, interdisciplinary art, design, and product futurist. He is the winner of The National Indie Excellence Award as well as the OWL Outstanding Works in Literature Award for his book,The Iconist.And his memoirChild Xwas published in 2025. Francesca Filomenais an Italian artist working internationally in design and print. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Leece, Italy and won first prize at the International Red Paper Kite Illustration competition in 2020. Francesca is the illustrator of the picture booksHoping for You, Aster, The Wire,andThe Girl Who Was Nearly a Flower.

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