'Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan'

Myk Friedman, Copyright 2004 Echoes Joint Venture

Detail of the proposed cover for Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The cover has present-day color photos of four real lost boys, alongside their illustrated caricatures.

The Sudanese civil war orphaned 30,000 youths. Children fleeing the violence swam through crocodile-infested rivers and slept in dense forests to avoid armed troops and wild animals. Along the way, many died from dehydration and starvation.

Their experiences are too graphic and harrowing for many kids to understand, yet these "lost boys and girls" of Sudan were young children themselves when their journey began two decades ago. Almost 4,000 of these Sudanese child refugees now live in the United States, many settling in North Texas. Hoping to help young Texans better understand the Sudanese refugees around them, Dallas publisher James Disco is turning the stories of four such lost boys into a graphic novel series, Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

Image Gallery: Read Matthew's Story, from 'Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan'

"I was searching for a medium that could actually tell the story and reach the youth of America," Disco says. "I came up with a comic concept, the nonfiction reality comic series, because I really wanted the kids of America to relate to the lost boys at the same age… they actually took their journey."

Catherine Cuellar of member station KERA reports.