It’s giving us Ser Brienne of Tarth from ‘Game of Thrones’ vibe, with a love story that will leave fans of YA queer, medieval fan fic in no doubt that this is a story for them. Publisher Oni Press has issued a “hear ye, hear ye” announcement of Fiona Marchbank’s (‘Fairest Of All: A Villains Graphic Novel,’ ‘Of Her Own Design’), author-illustrator debut in ‘Ladies of the Knight’ hitting shelves July 2026. Enter a land where glamorous knights compete in showy tournaments for fame and fortune, and small and untrained George dreams of securing the coveted position of knight’s squire.
Serafina is the best knight around, no question. She’s so good that she’s getting bored and reckless in her jousts, but when she takes on plucky George as a squire, she suddenly finds herself in the position she never wanted: a mentor. Their partnership is going to be even harder than it looks, considering George can barely hold a sword without giving herself a black eye and Serafina is even pricklier than the lance she wields. But if either of them are going to take the league of knights by storm, they’ll have to learn that neither of them can do it alone.
“As a (now-retired) Roller Derby player, I created ‘Ladies of the Knight’ as an ode to contact sports, and to those who are compelled to play them,” said creator Fiona Marchbank in a press release.
“’Ladies of the Knight’ uses the framework of a mentor story to explore the unbridled excitement of being a beginner, and the various joys, and hardships, of success.”
“Medieval stories are having a bit of a renaissance right now, and this tale of glamorous female and nonbinary knights is full of all of the jousting, archery, and tournaments readers could want,” said Senior Editor Grace Scheipeter.
“Paired with humorous moments of verbal sparring, heartwarming testaments to the bravery in persistence, and rewarding character relationships, ‘Ladies of the Knight’ tells the story of how an unlikely duo can find success when they work together.”
If you’re a fan of titles such as ‘Squire’, ‘A Knight’s Tale’, and ‘Gwen & Art Are Not In Love’, you will find yourself cheering for George and Serafina when ‘Ladies of the Knight’ releases July 2026.
In anticipation of the release, we were lucky enough to feature an exclusive preview of pages 1-11 below. You can follow Fiona Marchbank on Instagram to see more of her work, and follow Oni Press to keep an eye on news in the lead up to the release of ‘Ladies of the Knight’.
