Clock Striker (Volume 2)

Clock Striker, Volume 2, is the exciting follow-up to the acclaimed first volume, featuring shonen manga’s first Black female lead character!
 
*2024 School Library Journal Best Manga of the Year*
*2025 CBC Librarians Favorites Winner*

Combining sci-fi, steampunk, action-adventure, and insightful humor, this new volume explores teenage hero Cast’s desire to (once again) save her friend Klaus while dealing with an entire town that confounds her with its unique sharing culture. Something is off—and Cast and her mentor, Ms. Philomena Clock, engineer-warriors called SMITHS, are determined to find out what it is before it’s too late.

Klaus is a runaway prince who has been captured by cybernetic outlaws, the Demon Bandits. Cast has almost never ventured past her hometown, so the demanding trek, including rough terrain and the strange kingdom of Alter, will test her beyond anything she has encountered before.

With a rival SMITH and STRIKER on their tails, as well as the mysterious King of Alter—who seems to have a powerful kingdom despite rejecting cutting-edge technology—can our female dynamic duo save the day?

Clock Striker is rated T for Teen, recommended for ages 13 and up.

Saturday AM, the world’s most diverse manga-inspired comics, are now presented in a new format! Introducing Saturday AM TANKS, the new graphic novel format similar to Japanese Tankobons where we collect the global heroes and artists of Saturday AM. These handsome volumes have select color pages, revised artwork, and innovative post-credit scenes that help bring new life to our popular BIPOC, LGBTQ, and/or culturally diverse characters.

Join in even more adventures with the other action-packed Saturday AM TANKS series:Apple Black, Gunhild, Hammer, Henshin!, The Massively Multiplayer World of Ghosts, Oblivion Rouge, Orisha, Saigami, Soul Beat, Titan King, Underground, and Yellow Stringer.

Awards for Clock Striker 1: "I'm Gonna Be a SMITH!"
*2024 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens*
*2023 Texas Library Association Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Winner - Starred Selection*
*2023 Virginia Library Association Graphic Novel Diversity Award Honor Book*
*2022 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics Finalist*

Praise for Clock Striker 1: "I'm Gonna Be a SMITH!"

• “ . . . evokes the energy and exhilaration of classic shonen manga . . . promises deeper lore and mysteries in subsequent volumes”—Publishers Weekly

• “Readers will eagerly anticipate more entries. A fantastic, refreshing series opener.”—Kirkus Reviews

• A “fast-paced story of self-discovery and altruism.”—Sara Smith, Booklist

• “This action-packed graphic novel adventure featuring tenacious female leads will leave shonen manga fans counting down to future volumes”—Amanda Melilli, School Library Journal

Issaka Galadima, also known online as Gladisk or GladiskStudio, was born in the Republic of Niger and currently lives in France, where he works as an app developer. He is the artist for the hit manga series Clock Striker for Saturday AM.

American entrepreneur Frederick L. Jones was born in Durham, North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Communication Studies. He developed a passion for promoting diversity at a young age, including participating in the fight for a Black Student Union on UNC’s campus and attending the original Million Man March in 1995. He spent a decade in the video game industry as an executive. Having worked on nearly every part of product creation, including product marketing, product development, and brand management, Frederick combined his experience with his lifelong love of anime to create the diverse manga brand Saturday AM in 2013. He resides in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, with his family and dog, Allie.

Saturday AM is a unique digital comics brand featuring an ever-growing catalog of popular, exclusive and diverse action manga-style webcomics by independent creators from around the world. Among the nearly 50 visionary artists on the Saturday AM team are @WhytManga (Apple Black), @JeyOdin (Hammer), and @saigamiproject (Saigami). To learn more about Saturday AM, visit saturday-am.com, or find them on Instagram (@saturday_am), YouTube (youtube.com/user/MyFutprint), and Twitter (@saturday_am).