Written by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Illustrated by Marco Finnegan, Colors by Alexandria Batchelor
The Keeper
(Abrams, September 2022)
Nominated for NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
Nominated For Glyph Comics Awards in Story of the Year, Best Writer, & Best Female Character
One of The Washington Post‘s “10 Best Graphic Novels of 2022”
Featured in Yahoo Entertainment’s “The It List”
Featured in BookRiot’s “Horror Comics To Carry You Through The End of The Year”
Featured in Tor.com’s “The Rise Of Black YA Horror”
A young Black girl finds herself trapped between desperation and her family’s dark history in this horror graphic novel
Aisha has suffered a devastating loss. Her parents were killed in a car crash and now she must move to decrepit and derelict Detroit to live with her ailing grandmother. However, shortly after moving in, Aisha’s grandmother’s health rapidly deteriorates. With her dying breath, she summons the dark spirit that has protected their family for generations to watch over Aisha.
At first it seems that this spirit, whom Aisha refers to as the Keeper, is truly doing as her grandmother asked, caring for Aisha and keeping her safe; however, it soon becomes clear that this being can only sustain itself by stealing life from others. As the Keeper begins to prey on the apartment building’s other residents, Aisha and her friends must come together to destroy it . . . or die trying.
Written by masters of horror Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes and illustrated by Marco Finnegan, The Keeper reflects on the horror Black Americans face every day, while still staying true to the genre.
Praise For The Keeper
“Finnegan’s sturdy, naturalistic art is workmanlike but holds a down-to-earth simplicity suited to a script that weaves volatile magic into the fabric of everyday life. Fans of smart horror will snap up this fresh, sharp take on the haunted house trope.” – Publishers Weekly
“The Keeper is an imaginative, terrifying tale of generational trauma in a Black family that is crafted with expert technique and told with real heart.” – Jordan Peele, Oscar and Bram Stoker Award-Winning Writer and Director of Get Out, Us, and Nope
“Barnes, Due, and Finnegan are masters of the creepy, and I was just as moved by all the kindness and love I found inside. A wonderful piece of work.” – Victor LaValle, Author of Destroyer, The Ballad of Black Tom, and The Changeling
“The Keeper is the best of what classic modern horror can be. Deep character development that draws you in and makes you care, coupled with frights that live with you long after you’ve completed reading. I love this book!” – Rodney Barnes, Author of Killadelphia
“A deliberately paced story about a young girl’s loss, like the best horror, it’s both intimately moving while being unnerving…”– Pornsak Pichetshote, Author of The Good Asian and Infidel
“A masterful stroke of horror from Due, Barnes, and Finnegan, The Keeper is the kind of graphic novel that slithers into your subconscious and refuses to leave. Haunting, beautifully illustrated, and well-paced, The Keeper is, in fact, a keeper.” – Alex Segura, Acclaimed Author of Secret Identity
“The Keeper… has all the incisive racial commentary and deep-rooted fear of a Jordan Peele joint. It’s not just about a monster that eats people but about the insidious ways racism haunts the lives of Black folks, how the monster isn’t always the monster, that sometimes the monster is the white men with violence in their hearts and power on their minds.”
– Alex Brown, “The Book Jockey”
Read The Shondaland Interview With Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes
Read The Publishers Weekly Review of The Keeper Here
Read An Excerpt from The Keeper Here
Read “The Book Jockey” Review of The Keeper Here
Featured in Yahoo Entertainment’s “The It List”
Featured in BookRiot’s “Horror Comics To Carry You Through The End of The Year”
Featured in Tor.com’s “The Rise Of Black YA Horror”
Marco Finnegan lives in Temecula, California with his family. Finnegan’s previous books include THE KEEPER with writers Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes (Abrams/Megascope 2022), LIZARD IN A ZOOT SUIT (Lerner/Graphic Universe 2020), WHERE WE LIVE (Image Comics, 2019), CROSSROAD BLUES (Image Comics, 2018), and LAST FAIR DEAL GONE DOWN (12 Guage Comics, 2018) both with Ace Atkins.