Mama Came Callin’ // A Graphic Novel

“One of the most affecting graphic novels I’ve read in some time. You’ll root for Kirah as she navigates a county’s institutional racism, her mysterious family history, and brutal Gatorman murders, written and artistically rendered with care and love and righteous anger. Don’t miss this one.” PAUL TREMBLAY,New York Timesbestselling author ofHorror MovieandThe Cabin at the End of the World

A gripping graphic horror novel set in the Florida bayou, following a young biracial woman as she uncovers her estranged fathers role in a grisly hate crime.

Kirah was born from an improbable interracial relationship that, in central Floridas infamous Asurupa County, defied all the odds. But her idyllic childhood was shattered by an urban legend come to life. The Gatorman was a nightmare on the lips of kids and grown-ups alike all the way back to Jim Crow: a monster with the body of a man, the head of an alligatorand a taste for Black children. Thats who crawled into Kirahs window when Kirah was just five years old. According to the police, it was Kirahs own father who put on that gator mask and tried to kill her.

Twenty years later, Kirah works hard to build a life unburdened by the traumatic events of her childhood.Just when it seems like shes managed to find her stride, her dad, fresh out of prison, crashes back into her world with a chilling message: Hes coming for you.

Finally forced to face the hideous family history shes been avoiding, Kirah sets off to discover where, and who, she truly came from. And the more she learns, the more disturbing the whole picture becomes. Turns out theres a lot more to the Gatorman than Kirah thought, and even worse: he isnt through with her just yet.

A clever hybrid of swamp noir, slasher horror, and social satireand brought to life by Camilla Sucres vivid illustrationsMama Came Callinis a story about family and legacies, both the ones we inherit and the ones we cant escape.

Ezra Claytan Danielsis a biracial (Black/white) American multidisciplinary artist. Creator of the award-winning graphic novelsUpgrade SoulandBTTM FDRS, his work has been featured on the Criterion Channel, at Chicagos Museum of Contemporary Art, SXSW, and is in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum. Ezra currently resides in Los Angeles, where he writes for film and television, includingSeverancefor Apple TV+.

Camilla Sucreis a Caribbean American artist from Trinidad, born in New York and raised in Baltimore. She is a recent graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art with a love for period dramas, vampires, and of course illustration.Mama Came Callinmarks her debut graphic novel.

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publish Date: February 03, 2026
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• TypeBook: Paperback
• EAN/UPC: 9780063239562
• Dimensions: 9.0 X 6.0 X 0.0 inches | 1.4 pounds