Nikki Kahl is a dark fantasy writer and artist currently creating The Neverland Wars novel and art collection, featuring characters from the story. A dark twist on the classic Peter Pan tale, The Neverland Wars explores the shadow self and the devastating consequences if one refuses to face it.
In a world where heroes become villains and villains become allies, Tinker Bell must choose a side and save Neverland from the shadow spreading across it, before it consumes everything she knows and loves. But will she lose herself in the process?
Follow the story and art collection’s creation on social media.
The Neverland Wars Novel
For the lost souls who are brave enough to face their own shadow.
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The Neverland Wars’s inception occurred in the fall of 2021 during Nikki’s Drawing for Graphic Novels and Comics class taught by Marvel/DC’s Carl Potts. The idea for a Peter Pan origin story was filed under the Future Projects section of her notes.
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In the fall of 2023, having finished her Belladonna art collection, Nikki wanted something new to focus on. She thought back to her Wizard of Oz adaptation project from her Drawing for Graphic Novels and Comics class where she had sifted through public domain stories available for adaptation.
Nikki decided to choose Neverland as her theme and illustrated the dark fantasy Tinker Bell artwork entitled, “All Bad.” Inspired by the art, she wrote small scenes and snippets of dialogue that came to her as she posted art process videos on social media. Those bits of narrative began to form a cohesive story and were the foundation for The Neverland Wars novel.
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Nikki began consistently writing the novel at the tail end of July 2024. During a series of fever dreams in the fall of 2024, she saw clear visions of how Jungian psychology concepts would shape the themes within the narrative, and be reflected in Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, and the landscape of Neverland itself. Key characters like Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boy Nibs, and John Darling have shifted the direction of the story as it’s being written, constantly keeping Nikki on her toes.
