Radbod
The ‘greatest of Frisians’ – but who was he really, as told by his blood brother?
The life of the legendary medieval king of Magna Frisia, from his younger years to his accession to the throne and his death, as told by his blood brother who joins him as he tests the status quo in pursuit of a higher goal.
Radbod is known around the world as the ‘greatest of Frisians’, but who was he really? This graphic novel – a graphic adaptation of Willem Schoorstra’s novel Rêdbâd – portrays his life from the very beginning as a boy in medieval Magna Frisia until his death as king: how he led Frisia, whom he kept close and why the future of Frisia was anything but certain at that time in particular.
The story is told from the perspective of his blood brother who, like their enemies (and Radbod himself), continuously tests the status quo in pursuit of a higher goal. Braaksma’s illustrations are completely digital, with a dark, earthy palette and expressive characters that add an emotional weight to the various scenes.
Skelte Siweris Braaksma (Leeuwarden, 1995) is a comic artist based in Friesland. He grew up in a former dairy factory in Marrum, the son of parents Machiel Braaksma and Lolkje van der Kooi, both visual artists. Since the age of fourteen, he has been making comics about little-known chapters of Frisian history and unsung local heroes; his works include De F.K.P. (2010), Fete (2019) and Magnus (2019). He is the driving force behind De Noorderlingen, a collective of Frisian comic artists looking to turn Frisia into a comic capital. Redbad is the winner of the Diet Huber-prijs 2025 for the best illustrated Frisian children’s and youth book of the past three years.