“What happens inside a black hole?” That’s the question eight-year-old Emirati Sultan AlWahshi asked after meeting UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi. Unable to find a definitive answer and fascinated by the mystery of black holes, Sultan decided to imagine one himself.
That curiosity has now turned into Sultan’s Time Travel Adventure, a published children’s picture book that follows a young astronaut who is pulled through a black hole and transported to the year 3045, making Sultan the youngest author published by Abu Dhabi’s Sandstorm Comics.
“I was curious about black holes in space,” Sultan told Khaleej Times. “Who knows what’s inside a black hole? Maybe it will take you to another dimension. Maybe it will take you to another time, to the past or to the future.”
The book follows a character named Sultan whose routine space mission takes an unexpected turn. After travelling through a black hole, he finds himself in a futuristic world filled with flying cars, robotic families and advanced technology.
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Sultan’s fascination with space began years earlier. He started creating comic books at home when he was just six years old. By the age of seven, he had shared his story with his mother and submitted it to Sandstorm Comics’ annual open submissions programme. His book was published when he was eight and a half.
His submission stood out not simply because of his age, but because of the effort behind it.
Rather than submitting only a written story, Sultan also hand-drew his characters, the villain, buildings and the futuristic world he had imagined.
“I drew the characters, I drew the villain, I drew the buildings and how it would look,” he said. Some of his original artwork was even incorporated into the opening pages of the finished book.
Seeing his imagination transformed into a real book left him feeling “happy and proud”. “I really thank them that they chose my book,” he said.
Mo Abedin, Editor-in-Chief of Sandstorm Comics, said Sultan’s creativity, ambition and attention to detail immediately caught the editorial team’s attention.
“His submission was even better than some people who were 30,” Abedin told Khaleej Times.
“Some people are not too serious about their submissions. They are incomplete, or they don’t do the necessary work. Some would even use AI artwork. Sultan actually hand-drew everything. He had everything structured, and he had a story that we could all understand.”
After reviewing hundreds of submissions, Abedin said Sultan’s project still stood out. “It was very impressive to see a submission from a seven-year-old that could beat submissions from people who were much older than him,” he said.
Following its selection, the story went through Sandstorm’s editorial process while preserving Sultan’s original vision. “You either shorten or lengthen parts, or structure the story in a better way, while telling the same story he wants to tell,” Abedin explained.
Sultan also worked alongside veteran American illustrator Greg Baldwin, founder of Lost Bear Studios, whose career spans more than two decades across comics, animation and video games, including the Ratchet & Clank franchise and projects for Marvel and Disney.
According to Abedin, the goal was to preserve as much of Sultan’s original artwork and storytelling as possible while shaping it into a professionally published children’s book.
The young author said conversations about space, including those with Sultan Al Neyadi, continued to fuel his imagination. Learning about space in school and encouragement from his teachers also inspired him to keep developing the story.
He is already planning his next adventure.
Sultan hopes to continue writing new chapters and books, with ideas ranging from time travel into the past to underwater adventures.
If he could travel through time himself, he knows exactly where he would go. “I would go to the past so I could fix things before they happen,” he said.
Sandstorm Comics is also expanding opportunities for young storytellers.
Abedin revealed the publisher is developing a nationwide competition for primary and secondary school students, with plans to eventually include universities, allowing more young creators to develop and submit stories through their schools.
“The school would push the student to submit,” he said. “It would not be an isolated effort. Teachers would support them and help get their submissions through.”
Published under Sandstorm Comics’ Little Storm children’s imprint, Sultan’s Time Travel Adventure is now available at Sandstorm Comics and Kinokuniya stores, as well as online through Kinokuniya and Deliveroo.
For children who dream of creating stories but doubt themselves, Sultan has a simple message.
“There is nothing too big for your imagination,” he said. “You just need to believe in yourself.”
Source: Khaleej Times