From Eisner-Nominated Writer Dan Goldman and Acclaimed Artist George Schall
Like many families, the Blooms are keen to reconnect with their past. And so it’s decided that the entire extended family will go on a pilgrimage to their grandfather’s pre-Holocaust home in Poland. Inspired by real events, the original graphic novel CHASING ECHOES, by Eisner-nominated writer Dan Goldman and acclaimed artist George Schall, follows the chaotic, quirky Blooms as they return to the homeland of their since-passed patriarch to search for his family’s mill, abandoned many years ago after the Nazis moved in. CHASING ECHOES will be published by Humanoids, the publisher of some of the world’s most groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy graphic novels, as part of the company’s acclaimed LifeDrawn imprint, which showcases deeply personal and political stories inspired not by science fiction but the world around us.
The Blooms are, well, a mess. Orthodox cousin Ruach is struggling without a husband in Israel. Agnostic Uncle Jack grapples with finding meaning in an indifferent world. And then there’s Malka, the family’s black sheep who is broke, recently divorced, and the Bloom family’s self-appointed historian. As she discovers from an ill-timed Facebook post, all of Malka relatives are finally making a decades-in-the-planning trip to the Old Country… except for her. After finagling herself a ticket as the self-appointed “Keeper of the Family Archives,” it becomes clear that the family has drifted apart and everyone’s brought more baggage than just their suitcases. And once the Blooms are stuck together on a rickety bus as they travel through Poland, the complicated family dynamics that bubble up can no longer be ignored as they butts heads on complicated subjects like otherness, memory, faith, and the slipperiness of time.
What does it mean to never forget? What do we owe not only to past generations but to future generations? What would healing look like, if it were possible? CHASING ECHOES grapples with these tough, unanswerable questions—and does so with big-hearted empathy and humor. We follow the Bloom family as they travel from Auschwitz to synagogues to an Elton John concert and, finally, to the very place that they’ve been looking for. When confronted with their reflection in the ruins of their grandfather’s old mill, they realize that they’ve been running from themselves—and each other—for too long.
CHASING ECHOES is the first graphic novel from writer Dan Goldman since the 2014 release of PRIYA’S SHAKTI, the acclaimed webcomic that generated internal headlines with its storyline about a female superhero in India who is a survivor of sexual violence. Here Goldman collaborates with artist George Schall to create a very different story—a heartfelt and intricately formed graphic novel about faith, family, forgiveness, the catharsis of Elton John, and what brings us back together. CHASING ECHOES will be available in bookstores on November 12th and in comic shops on November 13.
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ABOUT THE WRITERDan Goldman is a narrative designer and visual storyteller working in comics, television, interactive media and video games. Creator of the Eisner-nominated SHOOTING WAR webcomic, he also covered an entire presidential election in comics form in real-time with “08″, told psychedelic tropical ghost stories in RED LIGHT PROPERTIES and created an Indian feminist icon to stand up for victims of violence against women with PRIYA’S SHAKTI. He has also produced Emmy-winning experiences for AMC Television, written two video games based on The Walking Dead and episodes of animated series for television. Dan currently serves as Narrative Lead at Kinjin Story Lab, where he incubates story-based projects at the intersection of technological innovation and social good. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner and two cats.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born and raised in São Paulo, George Schall is both a writer and illustrator. He co-authored and illustrated three Brazilian graphic novels titled SABOR BRASILIS (2013, Zarabatana Books), MOSCHITTO (2013, Fictícia) and HITOMI (2016, Balão Editorial) and also made short stories for numerous anthologies like “Monica’s Gang” MSP 50 (2011, Panini), INKSHOT (2015, Monkeybrain), Dark Horse Presents (2012-2016, Dark Horse Comics), Planet of the Apes: The Time of Man (2018, Boom! Studios). Schall also worked in cinema as animation/art director and as an illustrator for several international companies and magazine publishers. Currently living in Barcelona, Schall streams his work online on Twitch and is trying to develop a full beard. (He hasn’t had much success so far with the latter.)