chessandgwen.com

We are Chesslyn Wright and Gwenyth Ernst, sisters and graphic novelists, or alternatively, American mangaka. You can read more about each of us and the roles we play as business partners here (Chess) and here (Gwen).

Our graphic novel series, The Bohemian Trials, holds greater similarities in art style, volume structure, and overall storytelling to manga, or Japanese comics. In order to portray our stylistic direction without misleading audiences about our nationality, we occasionally refer to ourselves as “American mangaka” and The Bohemian Trials as an “American manga.”

We decided that the direction would be one of the few aspects in which we broke away from our stylistic similarities to manga, so our books read from left-to-right. We chose as such because we wanted to draw in audiences from both traditional American comics and Japanese manga, and hopefully, be a bridge from both sides to the others’.

The Bohemian Trials is a graphic novel series written by us two sisters, Chesslyn Wright and Gwenyth Ernst. If you would like to read a brief summary of the series, you can read it on our home page, or if you want to get a more in-depth view of the story, simply click here.

The Bohemian Trials: Volume 1 was released on Sunday, December 29, 2024.

The book is available for purchase through our online store; however, if you would like to avoid the shipping cost, you can get a copy at DJ’s Collectible Shoppe (Hanford, CA) or Collector’s Choice (Visalia, CA), or you can catch us at an upcoming event listed here.

The book is $20. The Bohemian Trials is entirely self-published, with exception to print, and therefore, sustains itself. Essentially, when you purchase a volume, you’re ensuring that the next one will get produced!

Our series is printed through PrintNinja, a fantastic business who has been a great help to Chess & Gwen and The Bohemian Trials.

We plan to release a digital edition of The Bohemian Trials: Volume 1 alongside the first chapter of the Volume 2.

In the comic book and manga industries, it is very easy for up-and-coming creators to pursue this field, but then quit once they realize there is a lot more to the business than writing and drawing. In first releasing a physical copy of The Bohemian Trials: Volume 1, we prove that we are not just hopeful dreamers—we are an author and illustrator with a meticulously pieced together series. We are serious about our careers and will not let our readers down by taking a permanent hiatus when things get hard. In short, we are the real deal!

From the first day of scripting to official release, the first volume has taken us two and a half years to complete, but that was due to countless obstacles that came with experiencing every step of production for the first time. Our prediction, and hope, is that the second volume will be available for audiences one year after the first volume’s release.

There are several ways in which you can support Chess & Gwen and the production of The Bohemian Trials, and we immensely appreciate any help that you are willing to give! You can find ways to support us here.