Celebrity Baker Kim-Joy Finds Her Voice in QUIET, a Powerful New Comic About Anxiety, Mental Health, and Belonging

Mad Cave Studios and Comixology Originals Unite for a Powerful New YA Graphic Novel Exploring Anxiety, Mental Health, and the Struggle to Be Heard

Mad Cave Studios is joining forces with Comixology Originals to bring readers QUIET, an emotional new young-adult graphic novel from celebrity baker, bestselling cookbook author, The Great British Bake Off finalist, and winner of the show’s 2022 New Year special, Kim-Joy.

Created by Kim-Joy alongside artist Alti, QUIET draws inspiration from Kim-Joy’s own experiences while exploring social anxiety, selective mutism, bullying, and the struggle to find your voice when the world refuses to slow down and listen. The graphic novel features art and spot color by Alti, lettering by Sara Linsley, and editing by Allison O’Toole.

“So much of my work has mental health themes,” Kim-Joy said. “It’s something I care about deeply and return to again and again, because I think stories are one of the best ways we have of making people feel less alone—and I hope that anyone who reads it feels that. And maybe wants their very own robot!”

Honestly, who wouldn’t want their own robot? Especially one that can help you navigate anxiety, school drama, and the kind of bullies who clearly need a hobby. QUIET marks the second comics collaboration between Kim-Joy and Alti, following their acclaimed graphic novel, Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship.

This time around, the story follows Mary, a young girl who hasn’t spoken a word at school in years because of selective mutism. She feels isolated, misunderstood, and trapped under the constant pressure of relentless bullying. Every school day becomes another reminder that the people around her see her silence without ever trying to understand what’s behind it. Then Mary is assigned a SereniBot, a mental-health support robot designed to help her cope. Naturally, she’s mortified.

Mary already spends her days trying not to attract attention, so being followed around by a robot is basically the opposite of laying low. But she soon discovers that the SereniBot can do much more than provide emotional support. It can also help her fight back. That is where things start getting messy. What begins with a few clever pranks aimed at Mary’s tormentors quickly grows into a series of increasingly chaotic misadventures. For the first time, Mary feels like she has some control. The bullies who once made her feel powerless are finally getting a taste of their own medicine. But revenge has a funny way of changing the person serving it.

As Mary’s actions escalate, the line between standing up for herself and becoming a bully begins to disappear. She is forced to confront a difficult question: in trying to reclaim her power, is she becoming the very thing she feared? That moral struggle gives QUIET its real emotional weight. This isn’t simply a story about a bullied child getting even. It’s about what happens when hurt, anger, and fear collide. It examines how easily justice can become revenge and how reclaiming your voice means accepting responsibility for what you choose to do with it.

Kim-Joy’s warmth, empathy, and vibrant personality shine through the story, but QUIET isn’t afraid to sit with uncomfortable emotions. Mary’s journey becomes an honest examination of power, compassion, accountability, and what it truly means to be heard. The addition of the SereniBot gives the book a playful science-fiction spark without diminishing the seriousness of Mary’s struggles. Instead, the robot becomes a way to explore the support people sometimes need when speaking for themselves feels impossible.

“From the moment I learned about the project, I knew I wanted to work with Kim-Joy again,” Alti said. “Bringing her cookies and cakes and other creations to the page is a treat. I really feel a connection to Mary and have always wanted a sidekick, so designing and bringing the robot ‘to life’ was not only fun, but a great way for me to experience what that might be like.”

“Throughout the story, I allowed my imagination to flourish and was able to express my emotions through Mary’s facial expressions and body language, as well as through the other characters,” Alti continued.

That visual storytelling will be especially important in a story centered on selective mutism. Mary may not communicate through spoken words, but her expressions, movements, and reactions can still reveal an entire emotional world. In Alti’s hands, silence doesn’t mean emptiness. It becomes its own language. Kim-Joy also praised the creative team and the collaborative process behind the book.

“Working with the whole team again has been a joy,” she said. “Alti is so smart and talented, and she and my editor Allison often notice little tweaks that elevate everything. Seeing Alti bring Mary and the SereniBot to life has been one of my favourite parts of this whole process.”

QUIET speaks directly to readers who have ever felt ignored, misunderstood, underestimated, or unable to express what was happening inside them. It reminds us that courage does not always arrive with a dramatic speech or a triumphant roar. Sometimes courage begins quietly.

Sometimes it begins with asking for help, admitting you made a mistake, standing up without tearing someone else down, or finally believing that your voice deserves to be heard—even when it doesn’t sound like everyone else’s. Readers who connected with Turtle Bread should find plenty of that same compassion and emotional honesty here, now wrapped inside a coming-of-age story filled with friendship, mistakes, robotics, revenge, and personal growth.

QUIET will be released digitally through Comixology Originals in Fall 2026, followed by a print edition from Mad Cave Studios in Summer 2027.

Kim-Joy will be signing at Mad Cave Studios’ booth #2806 at San Diego Comic-Con International, Saturday, July 25, at 12 PM. 

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