Moving to a new city is hard enough, but combine that with a new school and new powers, and it’s going to be a wild ride.
That’s the basic plot of the new graphic novel, “Nightmare in Savannah,” from writer Lela Gwenn and artist Rowan MacColl.
When Alexa Bowman is forced to move from Chicago back to her parent’s childhood home in Savannah, she expects to have a tough time. The fact that her parents are in prison is quickly discovered by her new classmates, and she finds herself the target of the school bullies.
Fortunately, she’s not alone. Alexa finds a group of fellow misfits, and things seem to take a turn for the better. But you can never rest with fairy magic is involved. Soon Alexa is fighting to save herself, her family, her friends, and even her bullies.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
The graphic novel is the second from Maverick, which is Mad Cave Studio’s young adult imprint aimed at young adult readers, and tackles themes of family, loss, friendship, bullying, love, and ultimately, finding who you really are in the middle of life’s chaos.
“With the opportunity to write ‘Nightmare in Savannah,’ it was really a chance for me to write a love letter to the weirdo kid that I was and the friends that made it possible to survive that time when everyone is just trying to figure out who they are and what they want in life,” said author Lela Gwenn.
“Getting into themes is such a sticky subject, especially for stuff written for teens. But I think that the angle that I looked at the relationships in the story is the idea that friendships are messy, wonderful, and sometimes terrible. Our friends aren’t always perfect and neither are we and it’s important that there is enough love and trust to get through those imperfect moments.”
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
There are parts of “Nightmare in Savannah” that mirror parts of the 1996 film, “The Craft.” This never seems to be a rip-off but more of homage. As much as “The Craft” is loved by some who gravitate to the themes of friendship and finding your power, it definitely had its problems. “Nightmare in Savannah” sees those problems and seeks to remedy them in a way that feels more authentic for 2021.
The artwork in the graphic novel by Rowan MacColl is largely black and white with intentional pops of purple and pink. Without giving too much away, pink is used as a clue throughout the novel.
Credit: Photo provided
Credit: Photo provided
“I chose bright pink because I wanted a color that stood out compared to the desaturated purples and reds but still able to coexist with the palette,” said artist Rowan MacColl.
“I specifically wanted something that captured the manic nature of their powers, how overwhelmingly thrilling it is to use during the more dream-like horror scenes.”
Overall, “Nightmare in Savannah” is an ode to the weird kid. It’s a standalone graphic novel, but there’s plenty of potential for deeper explorations of the world Gwenn created. Maybe we’ll get that in the future.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: New comic book 'Nightmare in Savannah' tackles tough themes in a 'love letter to the weirdo kid'
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