Graphic novel Shubeik Lubeik touches on contemporary social issues with a wishing marketplace

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Graphic novel Shubeik Lubeik by Egyptian artist and author Deena Mohamed creates a world with a wishing marketplace: The comic novel addresses issues such as gender bias, mental health, and many other modern-day world struggles. The novel’s plot suggests the idea that wishes can be sold, and the higher the price, the more powerful the wish. The brilliance of Deena’s work was her ability to highlight serious problems through her three-part novel, garnering not only local attention but international as well. The trilogy was first published in Arabic between 2018 and 2021, and was translated into English this month.