Samuel Sattin and Rye Hickman
BezKamp
(Roar/Lion Forge, October 2019)
Watch the BEZKAMP trailer
Read the authors’ letter to readers
One of Cape and Cowl Comics’ Best Selling Graphic Novels of 2019
In the village of BezKamp, laws, land, rituals, and warriors are sacred. The written word is banished, and young Nem is living in his father’s shadow. Migal, one of the strongest warriors in all of BezKamp, is disappointed that his son shows no sign of fire or strength. Nem would rather spend his days collecting rare artifacts from their village’s ancestors, especially books and writings, even though the written word has been outlawed in BezKamp for decades. On their planet of Klassew, the people live in fear of the dangerous Crig beasts that can poison their land. BezKamp is isolated from the Crig territory, and the villagers techno-ritual called “Creejun” allows them to cultivate land and expand their territory. But when unexpected corruption begins taking land and lives around BezKamp, the village leaders, warriors, and healers must venture out of the city gates to war-torn lands to protect their livelihood. Heading the charge, Migal hopes to use this mission as a way to finally show his son the meaning of honor and responsibility. When Nem begins to see more of Klassew beyond his home village, he sees a world full of corruption, deceit, and lies. When he meets Janny, a BezKamp outsider living off the land on her own, Nem’s view of BezKamp begins to shatter. As the pair begins to unlock deep-seeded secrets about their peoples suppressed past, Nem learns that the strongest warrior fights for the truth.
Praise for BezKamp
“Sattin and Hickman have skillfully crafted an inventive, action-filled sci-fi adventure that simultaneously wrestles with family trauma, environmental destruction and the danger of destroying history. I highly recommend it!”
–Maia Kobabe, creator of Gender Queer: A Memoir
“Bezkamp is a delightful YA sci-fi world of alien races, unique dialects, family, adventure, and following your star.”
–Johnnie Christmas, #1 New York Times best-selling cartoonist on Firebug, Aliens 3 and Angel Catbird
“Sattin and Hickman seamlessly create a gloriously nuanced system of contradictions with this stunning graphic novel. I felt drawn into its sequential stew from panel one, and it was a feast for the eyes and mind”
–John Jennings, Eisner Award winning scholar and artist of Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred graphic novel
“Curiosity is a theme in BezKamp… Hickman has taken that and ran with it…. Like with any archaeological dig, a lot of what you first find is not what it seems. The world is both scary and beautiful….BezKamp is a story worth telling today. It is worth reading, worth feeling, and worth allowing it to become a part of you.”
–Lauren Fernandes, Doom Rocket
Read the BEZKAMP announcement in The Hollywood Reporter
Featured on ICv2‘s Middle Grade, YA Comics News Round-Up
Read Doom Rocket‘s review of BEZKAMP
Read Soda and Telepath‘s review of BEZKAMP
Rye Hickman is a visual storyteller and a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Sequential Art program. Past work includes Moth & Whisper, Jem and the Holograms, the Femme Magnifique anthology, Number One with a Bullet, Filthy Figments, and more. Their primary passions are exciting narratives, good coffee, and exceptional grammar.
Samuel Sattin is a novelist, comics creator, editor, and coffee addict. He is the writer of the Glint trilogy, BezKamp, Legend, The Silent End, League of Somebodies, and Adventure Quest. His work has appeared in The Nib, The Atlantic, Nerdist, EntertainmentWeekly, NPR, Paste Magazine, Salon, io9, Kotaku, Vulture, and elsewhere. He holds an MFA in comics from California College of the Arts and has a creative writing MFA from Mills College. The creative director of a toy company in Oakland, California, he sometimes teaches at the California College of the Arts and lives with his wife/assassin and two cats.