Iyanu: Child of Wonder Volume 4

Iyanu: Child of Wonder #4

by Roye Okupe, Spoof Animation (contributor), Sunkanmi Akinboye (illustrator)

Soon to be a Max/Cartoon Network animated series!

Iyanu must face her destiny and save all of Yorubaland! She has help from her Biyi, a carefree adventurer; Toye, the bookworm; and Ekun, the magical and opinionated giant leopard!

Together, all four—also known as Team Chosen—embark on an epic adventure full of twists, turns, and laughs that will change their lives forever!

Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios continue stories in a shared universe of African fantasy and superhero stories—the YouNeek YouNiverse!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult

152 pages, Paperback

Published March 4, 2025

About the author

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Roye Okupe is a creative specialist who holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in computer science from The George Washington University. His passion for animation led him to found YouNeek Studios in 2012, an avenue that would allow him pursue his dream of creating a diverse library of superheroes. Under that umbrella, Roye wrote, produced and directed several animated productions including, but not limited to, 2D/3D animated short films, TV commercials, show openers, music videos and much more. These productions have allowed Roye to attain much prestigious recognition’s such as being #5 on Ventures Africa’s list of 40 African innovators to watch (2016) as well as being part of NewAfrican Magazines’ 100 most influential Africans of 2016.

With the superhero genre currently at the height of popularity, Roye has made it a goal to create a connected universe of heroes, with origins from locations that are currently neglected and/or ignored. In August 2015, Roye released his debut graphic novel titled: E.X.O. The Legend of Wale Williams Part One, a superhero story set in a futuristic Nigeria. E.X.O. was received with critical acclaim and has since been featured on CNN, Forbes, The New York Times, NBC, The Guardian, ABC7, BBC, The Huffington Post, Mashabe and more!

Reviews

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's an intricate and complex world and world history the Creator has made here.
lots of possibilities seem to be opening up.
great art and a predictable but fun story.

[kaitlphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the change in artists particularly noticable in the faces and sometimes in the backgrounds, which was distracting.

I often can't follow battles in comics very well, but I was able to follow the action in the battles in this volume easily!

This volume answered a lot of questions. I feel like not much has been done with The Deep and I feel like this story would be tidier without them being added. They feel like a straggler on the story.

As always, I appreciated the world lore and reminders between chapters as well as the extra info in the rear matter.

The king came out of nowhere in the battle, which made his sacrifice feel undeserved.

[Summertime Readaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork was so much better here.

The story was wrapped up a bit too Disney princess-y for me given the major build up across the first 3 volumes. For some reason, I truly thought this would be a series finale.

It is not.

Again still lots of visible parallels for the bible stories in Genesis, the creation story, the garden of Eden, the fall of Lucifer, and the fall of man. As an atheist that habit is almost a borderline non-starter/hard pass for me, but the references are subtle and well played which I can appreciate.

I am definitely not the target audience for this tale but I am enjoying it anyway. I will continue to read it, but I think I will have to wait until an end is in sight and then just binge read.

[Omen Cage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved seeing Iyanu come into her own and unlock her full potential, and I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iyanu must reach the Source or Yorubaland will perish.

[itisi_riri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the art. I could not put it down!

[Shavohna G-Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for volume 5!