“Beautiful and haunting and harrowing.” —Chuck Wendig, bestselling author of Black River Orchard and The Book of Accidents
Co-writers and father-daughter team Ethan Sacks (Star Wars: Bounty Hunters) and Naomi Sacks join forces with fan-favorite artist Marco Lorenzana (Incredible Hulk) for a YA graphic novel that explores real-world mental health struggles through a fantastical lens in the upcoming, A Haunted Girl. It will hit shelves this May from Image Comics.
The graphic novel will also contain an AFSP guide to suicide prevention resources, as well as a guide from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) on free therapy access options. Both organizations contributed sensitivity reading to ensure the depictions of mental health were authentic.
This thought-provoking graphic novel has garnered early buzz for its hard-hitting themes and in-depth exploration of anxiety and trauma and was featured on the American Foundation (AFSP) of Suicide Prevention blog, CBS Morning News, Montreal CBC news radio, Mashable, and more.
In A Haunted Girl, readers meet Cleo, a 16-year-old adopted Japanese-American whose anxiety and depression drives her to suicidal thoughts, is fresh out of the hospital and trying unsuccessfully to reintegrate back into her old life. What she doesn’t know is that her real struggles are just beginning as she finds herself encountering an increasingly terrifying succession of ghosts. Is she losing her grip on reality… or is the explanation much, much worse? A Haunted Girl channels terrors—both otherworldly and real-life—that come with anxiety and depression.
A Haunted Girl (ISBN: 978-1534397774) will be in 6×9 paperback format and available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, May 22 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo on Tuesday, May 21.
A Haunted Girl will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
Select praise for A Haunted Girl:
“Beautiful and haunting and harrowing.” —Chuck Wendig, bestselling author of Black River Orchard and The Book of Accidents
“I’ve been thinking about A Haunted Girl for days now. Ethan Sachs, Naomi Sachs and Marco Lorenzana create something chilling and real that lurks in so many of us. You’ll see. It’ll haunt you too.” —Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of The Lightning Rod and Identity Crisis
“A Haunted Girl is haunting for all the right reasons. Sometimes the monster is your mind.” —Charles Soule, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Oracle Year, The Endless Vessel, and writer of Star Wars and Eight Billion Genies
“Full of deeply rendered relationships, narrative complexity, and that inexplicable and luminous lifeblood of story, A Haunted Girl is a moving, vibrant, thrilling tale that will follow you around long after you read it. Can’t wait to see where this goes.” —Daniel José Older, bestselling Star Wars novelist, writer of The High Republic Adventures and author of Ballad & Dagger
“Nicely centers its young protagonist against some truly terrifying stuff; while also offering a worthy and inspirational real-world message.” —Kelly Thompson, writer of Captain Marvel, The Cull, Black Cloak
“Horror at its most human. An intimate tale of the psychological toll of depression wrapped in a larger story of impending supernatural cataclysm. Powerful and moving.” —Steven S. DeKnight, creator/showrunner of Spartacus, Marvel’s Daredevil
“A Haunted Girl is a beautiful story that tackles hard subjects with a deft touch. Ethan, Naomi and Marco blend real-world issues with a perfect amount of fantasy and horror.” —Chip Zdarsky, writer of Daredevil, Batman, Public Domain
“A beautiful book in every sense of the word. The art. The story. The emotion. Haunting and heartfelt, Ethan and Naomi Sacks’s extremely personal story is perfectly matched in Marco Lorenzana’s gorgeous art. You can’t help but ache for Cleo’s plight or feel the ache of a father desperately wanting to help his beloved daughter. A supernatural thrill that will touch your heart and soul.” —Cavan Scott, New York Times bestselling author and writer of The High Republic and Tales of Vader’s Castle comics
“Eerie, honest, and emotionally raw, A Haunted Girl taps into the demons that live within and without.” —Alyssa Wong, writer of Doctor Aphra, Deadpool, Captain Marvel
“A Haunted Girl isn’t just a thrilling story, or a fascinating comic. It’s so much more than all that. It’s a powerful and important work and you owe it to yourself to read it.” —Matthew Rosenberg, writer of What’s the Furthest Place from Here?, The Joker, Uncanny X-Men
“Full disclosure: one of the authors of the fantastic series, A Haunted Girl, is my best friend. Ethan Sacks and his family are my family. For several years now, I’ve watched Naomi battle through her mental health crisis. Her and her family’s perseverance and how they came out the other side of it is nothing short of a miracle and a tribute to the love that binds them together. This book, like Naomi, is a miracle. A collaboration forged from the triumph of a family’s spirit. Yes, it’s a hell of a great story too, but it’s its raw authenticity that makes it a must-read for everyone.” —Joe Quesada
“Compelling and frightfully evocative, A Haunted Girl is a compelling horror tale with a powerful and emotional exegesis about mental health at its center. A perfect example of how comic books can touch lives and not just entertain.” —Marc Guggenheim, showrunner on Arrow, writer of Han Solo & Chewbacca and X-Men: Gold
“Like few comics before it, A Haunted Girl captures the abject terror and helplessness felt when a loved one is fighting a battle with demons only they can see. It’s important in a way that average horror comics aren’t—it’s very existence is a testimonial to the power that unconditional love and support can bring to someone who is struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. I couldn’t be happier to read the powerful story Ethan, Naomi and Marco have created, nor could I be prouder that they are using it as a vehicle to partner with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, to help any and all readers that may need it.” —Rich Douek, writer of Drive Like Hell, Breath of Shadows, Magic: The Gathering
“A Haunted Girl is a special comic and, frankly, we don’t get enough of those. Writers Ethan and Naomi Sacks, along with artist Marco Lorenzana, have taken their harrowing personal experiences with depression and crafted a tale that is both sobering and inventive. They have taken a very real and serious look at depression and its impact and have spun that into a unique fantasy tale unlike any you’re apt to find on shelves this or any year.” —Chris Condon, writer of That Texas Blood and The Enfield Gang Massacre
ABOUT ETHAN SACKS
Ethan Sacks is best known in comics as the writer of Marvel’s Old Man Hawkeye, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Star Wars: Bounty Hunters. He also wrote the acclaimed nonfiction comics, COVID Chronicles and Climate Crisis Chronicles for AWA Studios, as well as several stories for DC Comics. Before comics, he was a 20-year veteran at the New York Daily News, covering film and geek culture. He also contributes to NBC News.
ABOUT NAOMI SACKS
Naomi Sacks may just be 19 years old, but she already has notched professional clips from the New York Daily News, TODAY, and AM New York, interviewing the likes of Steven Spielberg, Ava Duvernay and Lin-Manuel Miranda. She is currently a college student majoring in Environmental Studies.
ABOUT MARCO LORENZANA
Marco Lorenzana, a Mexico-based illustrator and designer, kicked off his professional career in the pages of Heavy Metal and with Aspen Comics’ Overtaken. He has also collaborated on Zenescope and drew for Marvel’s Hulk, Secret Empire: Brave New World and Ultimates2. He previously teamed up with writer Ethan Sacks on a creator owned comic, Intrusion, a horror one-shot for Magma Comix and Heavy Metal.