Devour - by Jazmine Joyner (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Devour tells the story of the Turner family, who move to Alabama to care for their ailing matriarch, Vassie, when she begins suffering from dementia. But Vassie isn't just any old lady; she's the last of a line of powerful root women who have been caring for the community since her ancestors were first captured and enslaved by white plantation owners. Patsy, the eldest daughter in the family, is immediately suspicious; the locals' fear and superstition of her grandmother leads Patsy to take a closer look at the Turner family home, and what she finds is beyond her wildest nightmares. In a magical room beneath the house, Patsy discovers the source of her family's legendary the Ghanaian spider god Anansi. Driven mad by the suffering of the enslaved Africans who worshipped him, Anansi was eventually captured and contained by Patsy's ancestors. As Patsy learns about her family's culture and dark past, she also realizes what's really happening to Vassie; Anansi is eating Vassie's memories. With their legacy and the god's imprisonment in the balance, Patsy and her brother, Demetrius, will have to take up their grandmother's mantle--while she can still remember who they are."--Amazon.

Book Synopsis

In this horror graphic novel from award-winning writer Jazmine Joyner and illustrator Anthony Pugh, American Gods meets Get Out in a dark retelling of the West African legend of Anansi the Spider.

In the Deep South, something evil waits in the darkness . . .

Devour tells the story of the Turner family, who move to Alabama to care for their ailing matriarch, Vassie, when she begins suffering from dementia. But Vassie isn't just any old lady; she's the last of a line of powerful root women who have been caring for the community since her ancestors were first captured and enslaved by white plantation owners.

Patsy, the eldest daughter in the family, is immediately suspicious; the locals' fear and superstition of her grandmother leads Patsy to take a closer look at the Turner family home, and what she finds is beyond her wildest nightmares.

Devour is a terrifying new fable that delivers thrills and chills in equal measure.

Review Quotes

"An electrifying journey of legacy, horror, and African lore. Devour will grip your soul at the roots."--Orlando Jones

"Anansi's magic and his treachery come to American shores. Devour is a tale of horror, history, and family magic--both its risks and its rewards. This story is full of blood and brutality, it's an epic tale that goes back to the earliest times and forward into the future."--Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling

"Black ancestral trauma energizes a clever twist on Anansi, who is a different being in the hands of each storyteller. Stories, after all, are the key . . . you'll be appalled, you'll be absorbed, you'll devour this book."--Nalo Hopkinson, coauthor of DC's House of Whispers

"Gripping and imaginative horror with a twist on the West African Anansi mythology. Devour has engaging characters and outstanding graphics leading to a devastating climax."--Tananarive Due, coauthor of The Keeper

About the Author

Jazmine Joyner is a Black disabled nonbinary femme who has been working in various parts of the comics industry for years. From being the first Black woman on the West Coast to own a comic shop to being an award-winning comics journalist, they have committed their life to their love of comics. They are based in Southern California and have written for Women Write About Comics, The Comics MNT, and others. Devour is their debut graphic novel. Anthony Pugh has worked on various projects in the creative industry, including marketing, advertising, storyboard art, character design, and comic book art. Anthony has worked with companies like IDW, Comedy Central, Ogilvy x Adidas, Kid Robot, and Pepsi Cola.