World Class

Football is a religion where Adrian “The Colombian Cannon” Molina comes from and with his wicked right leg, he has a clear shot to the promised land of the European Junior Leagues. But when a football scout offers him a full scholarship to an elite prep school in London, the news seems too good to be true. His enrollment hits a snag upon meeting the team’s star striker, Titan Evans. Titan is everything Adrian is not; rich, powerful, connected, and with a hunger to dominate the school as well as the pitch. The constant fighting, teasing, and bullying, brings about crippling anxiety of losing his spot on the team. That’s until Luciano DeSilva takes him under his wing, and gives Adrian the confidence to be himself and value his position on the team. From visionary writer and podcaster Jay Sandlin (Over the Ropes), illustrator Patrick Mulholland (Power Rangers), and superstar colorist Rebecca Nalty (GLOW) comes a foot- ball story, that blends the energy and heart of Shonen manga with a story about finding the right people in your life to not only make you a better player, but a better person.

Jay Sandlin is a visionary writer and podcaster, as well as a history buff. Since self publishing his first anthology and picture book back in 2017, Jay has gone on to release Over The Ropes with Mad Cave Studios in 2019, and his first young adult graphic novel, World Class, under the Maverick imprint in 2022.

Patrick is an artist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is most well known for his work on Power Rangers and the mini series Zero Jumper. Most days you can find him at his desk finding excuses to draw action scenes on every page.

Rebecca Nalty is a colourist currently living in Dublin, Ireland and has been working in the industry since 2017. Some of her previous titles include The Slasher's Apprentice, Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, and Monster High: House Haunters. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her dog and playing video games.

Justin Birch is a Ringo Award-nominated letterer born and raised in the hills of West Virginia. Lettering comics since 2015, he is a member of the lettering studio AndWorld Design and has worked with AWA, Boom!, DC, Dark Horse, IDW, Image, Mad Cave Studios, and numerous indy publishers. Justin still lives in West Virginia, only now it’s with his loving wife, daughters, and their dog, Kirby.