Deena Mohamed‘s approach to fiction is always rooted in place and perspective. The Cairo-based comics artist is the creator of Qahera, an online bilingual comic strip that follows the titular superheroine in her efforts to combat misogyny and sexual harassment across the city. The first part of her epic Shubeik Lubeik was published in 2018; the project creates a world in which wishes are not only real but a natural resource that is of course extracted and commodified. The book, which I had the pleasure of reviewing for TMR following its release in an English self-translation in 2023, explores the journey and effects of three first-class wishes, all obtained from Shokry’s kiosk.
Deena Mohamed in conversation with Katie Logan
Some of Deena’s favorite comics are the Egyptian anthology Tok Tok, Zahra’s Paradise by Amir and Khalil, Palestine by Joe Sacco, Ces jours qui disparraissent by Timothé Le Boucher. Two of her major inspirations are Egyptian artists Shennawy, Mohamed Salah (the comics artist), and Hiromi Arakawa, the author of Fullmetal Alchemist.
She also likes the movie Spiderman: into the Spiderverse and enjoys a lot of television, especially the Egyptian drama series Segn el Nesa (Women’s Prison) and Hatha el Masaa (This Night), the Korean dramas My Ajusshi and W – Two Worlds, the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Naruto. And Shrek.
3 First Class Wishes by Deena Mohamed
The English version of Shubeik Lubeik.
Deena Mohamed's impression of herself.
Original book cover.
From Shubeik Lubeik
From Shubeik Lubeik
Bridge to Cairo
Qahera, the Muslim superhero.
From Shubeik Lubeik
