On sale date: September 20, 2015
In this debut graphic novel collecting Liz Suburbia's popular webcomic, the parents have left the teenagers to fend for themselves in a town where a terrible tragedy is coming for them all.
The children of U.S. small-town Alexandria are just trying to live like normal teens until their parents' promised return from a mysterious, four-year religious pilgrimage, and Ben Schiller is no exception. She's just trying to take care of her sister, keep faith that her parents will come back, and get through her teen years as painlessly as possible. But her relationship with her best friend is changing, her younger sister is hiding a dark secret, and a terrible tragedy is coming for them all. Filled with teenage loves and fights and parties, Sacred Heart is a wonderful coming-of-age graphic novel set against the threat of a big reckoning that everyone fears is coming but has no proof.
American Library Association 2016 Alex Award Winner (for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences).
Praise
"...Suburbia's stories take on an immediate and propulsive quality. They remain accessible while addressing complex themes, like the demarcation between childhood and adulthood, faith and religion, love and sex. Suburbia's black-and-white illustrations recalls the punkish light and shadow of Los Bros Hernandez, as well as the '80s-anime aesthetic of creators like Kat Verhoeven or Faith Erin Hicks." — Shea Hennum - Paste
"Feral teenagers roam the streets of Alexandria, fighting, screwing, singing, loving, worrying, and killing. Drawn in an energetic style that feels equal parts Los Bros Hernandez and Brandon Graham, this epic story of teenage kicks gone bad thrills and surprises, even as Suburbia takes time to sit quietly with characters you come to really love." — Dan Kois - Slate
"[Sacred Heart] is a book that's relatable, terrifying and an incredible portrait of adolescence." — Alex Dueben - Comic Book Resources
"Suburbia's art style and attitude remind me of Liz Prince: smooth linework that emphasizes her characters emotions and punk as f***. ... I have to respect how Suburbia is unafraid to punch you in the gut and and run. In many ways, Sacred Heart just ends in much the same way a life does: some things get resolved, others don't, and there are as many or more questions than there were before." — David Fairbanks - Loser City
"Liz blends the Bible, punk rock, the magical realism of the Hernandez brothers, and trashy teen girl revenge flicks into a subtle story that explores alienation, gender, consent, sexuality, and trauma. ... Liz brings... nuance, sensitivity, and playful openness to any subject she engages with." — Annie Mok - The Comics Journal
Specs
- Pages
- 312
- Format
- Paperback / Softback
- Color
- Black and white
- Dimensions
- 6.6" × 9.6"
- ISBN-13
- 9781606998410