Asra – The world’s newest superheroine has hit town, and she’s on a mission to save women all across the GCC from her archenemy Um Al Lail.
The 15 year old Asra, lived in a small village with her grandmother after she was orphaned in the 1970s. She was turned into a stone statue after meeting Um Al Lail, a mystical fortuneteller who steals Asra’s soul for 40 years. Now she’s back, and she’s seeking vengeance.
The narrative starts when a young girl releases Asra from her curse, some 40 years later. Asra wakes up to a world without women, thanks to Um Al Lail, thus lacking progress and prosperity.
The new upcoming graphic novel, named Asra & the Orphan Moon, takes you along as the young Arab superhero tries to save the women of the Gulf from the evils of Um Al Lail.
Created by Northwestern University in Qatar lecturer, Anne Sobel, Asra will hopefully come to life soon. Sobel has launched a crowdfunding campaign to see her teenage superheroine in action.
The idea started 6 years ago when Sobel had first arrived in Qatar, and watched a women’s basketball game. That was when she came up with the idea of a strong female Arab athlete, she said in an interview with Doha News.
She proceeded to look into the history of women in Qatar for the remaining years, and Asra is the child of that idea, together with the research Sobel made.
Sobel and her team are currently working their best to bring us the graphic novel. Even though it might take some time, we are sure everyone is eagerly anticipating the adventure.
