A king, a castle, and a princess -- Birdhouse, a new graphic novel by Vernon White to be published by SLG Publishing in February 2010, has all the elements of a fairy tale, but its depiction of tyranny and isolation make it a decidedly modern tale as well.

When there is an assassination attempt on the king, who is hated by his subjects, the kingdom is swept to eliminate anyone who resists his rule. Meanwhile, the king's only daughter, desperately lonely and miserable in the castle, dreams of a seaside town she once visited, but she is forbidden from leaving the castle walls. Her only hope for escape lies with an absent-minded servant hired to construction work on the castle.

The juxtaposition of archetypes from fairy tales and contemporary life, along with White's clean black-and-white art, provides Birdhouse with both immediate appeal and depth. "My intention was to make the story completely straightforward while still giving the curiosity of something unusual," said White.

Birdhouse is a 136-page, black-and-white graphic novel. It will retail for $10.95 and can be pre-ordered from comic book stores now with the Diamond code DEC090645. Its ISBN is 978-1-59362-185-8. A preview of Birdhouse is available at SLG's website, www.slgcomic.com.