Inanna Sarkis knows the power a name has.
The social media content creator and actress, who is from Assyrian and Bulgarian descent, was already self-conscious in grade school that her name didn’t fall into the Mary and Sue categories like the other kids’ names. The kids in her class in the blue-collar city of Hamilton, Ontario, didn’t make it easy on her as kids are wont to do, but a teacher, of all people, in the fourth grade took the othering up a notch.
One day, calling kids up to get pizza for a class lunch, the teacher repeatedly and purposely bungled her name. Then came the final insult for the child.
“He called me ‘banana,’ like ‘Banana, come get your pizza,” Sarkis recalls. “Everyone in class started laughing. This was in grade four.”
To a child already feeling isolated and on the outside, it was a humiliating moment and it left a lasting impression.
Sarkis, with millions of followers across several platforms including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, is focusing on what’s in a name by making a jump into the four-color world of graphic novels. She is partnering with Vault Comics for an original fantasy graphic novel titled The Name She Lost: Inanna Book 1.
Tim Seeley, the Eisner-nominated co-creator of horror comic Hack/Slash and writer of such book as Nightwing for DC Comics, is co-authoring the comic, a modern reimagining of the story of the ancient Sumerian goddess of love and war. Ademir Leal, a concept artist who has worked in video games as well as comics, is the illustrator. The graphic novel is due to hit stores May 2026.
The story has been germinated inside Sarkis’ head for years — she attempted to write it as a YA novel at one point but kept coming back to an image of the heroine falling from the sky — as she tried to find something worthy to say about the culture and it’s ancient and not well-known mythology.
“The day-to-day person knows who Aphrodite is, they know who Hera is, but no one really knows who Inanna is,” says Sarkis, who gives a nod to the Greek-inspired Wonder Woman. “And she was one of the oldest and most complex of the goddesses.”
But even when finally deciding to go all-in on the graphic novel and the story of the goddess, she still felt hesitant about using the name Inanna, but this time for more personal reasons.
“I felt it was going to make me look vain or narcissistic,” she said. “Like, why am I calling a superhero my name. But to me, it was more important to keep the ancient mythology than trying to keep this narrative of people not thinking bad of me.”
Vault, the publisher behind such indie cult hits as Barbarian, has built a solid business working with bold-faced names that it brings into the comic world. Its biggest hit this year is a comic titled Big Rig, co-written by singer-songwriter Post Malone. In recent years, it also put out books by Pete Wentz and Def Leppard. This one came to the company almost by happenstance.
“Sometimes an incredible project just falls in your lap,” explained publisher and co-founder Damien Wasel via email. “Through mutual representatives, we got connected with Inanna, and she showed up with an epic story that draws from her Assyrian heritage, matching enthusiasm, and the kind of audience you can’t buy for any amount of money. Then she turned out to be a wonderful collaborator. Smart, committed, and hands on every step of the way.”
The modern story is set in San Francisco, where Inanna emerges from the Bay wearing nothing but a necklace and remembering little else but her name. Still possessing immense strength and charisma, she becomes a champion of her people but, as the publisher promises, she will soon find out that her immortal life as a goddess of love and war will come back to haunt her. Ancient enemies and modern mythic forces will collide as love and war clash in a battle for the soul of humanity — and for Inanna herself.
Sarkis will be in attendance at New York Comic Con with Vault, promoting the graphic novel with an exclusive ashcan. Her move into the comic world is happening as her Hollywood acting career is also gearing up. She appears in the horror movie Red Mask, which will premiere at this year’s Screamfest Film Festival in Hollywood, will be seen in The Prince, a drama written by David Mamet that stars Nicolas Cage, and also appears in Amazon’s romance flick Maintenance Required with Madelaine Petsch.
Still, despite a career steeped in screens, Sarkis is finding an affection for the comics medium. To her, it’s like reading a movie.
“It brings something to the reader that a regular book doesn’t,” she explains. “It’s more visceral.”
Check out a preview below.