On April 16, 2024, Abrams Fanfare will release The Harrowing, a new graphic novel from writer Kristen Kiesling and artist Rye Hickman about a psychic teen who solves murders. But lucky you, Comic Book Club has an exclusive look inside the book right now… As well as quotes from Kiesling and Hickman on the process behind the pages.
“Page 17, panel 5 includes one of my favorite illustrations,” Kiesling said. “Rye Hickman expertly conveys the terror on Rowan’s face and helps set the tone for what’s to come. It is a masterful depiction of the dynamics between the two characters, highlighting the artist’s skill in utilizing facial expressions to immerse readers in the scene emotionally and capture Rowan’s insecurities.”
In the novel, 17-year-old Rowan Sterling is having weird bloody visions of death. But when she tells her father about it, he has her sent to a training center called Rosewood where she discovers she’s a Harrow… Kids with special abilities, and hers is to predict future deaths.
The book is already garnering acclaim, with Wicked + Divine writer Kieron Gillen saying, “You will shiver in fear and delight. You will want to be held and to hold.” I love being held, so I’m sold on this already.
If you’d like to find out more about the book, Kiesling will be at the LA Festival of Books on Sunday, April 21 at the “Gone Girls: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense in Young Adult Fiction” panel from 10 am to 11 am.
The Harrowing hits bookstores everywhere on April 16, 2024, from Abrams Fanfare. Read on for our exclusive excerpt.
The Harrowing Exclusive Pages + Quotes:
Click the pages on the excerpt below for a larger version. And read on for exclusive quotes from Kristen Kiesling and Rye Hickman explaining their thought process behind the pages.
Writer Kristen Kiesling: “This section is all about change. We witness a snapshot of preteen Rowan, grappling with the loss of her mother and the inevitable fragmentation of family life as she knows it. Three years later, Rowan encounters another loss—this time, bidding farewell to her best friend as he prepares for college, leaving her behind. Faced with the dual responsibility of caring for her father and managing the family business, Rowan feels torn. While she yearns for a future of her own, her greatest fear is losing another loved one. The thought of abandoning her father is unbearable, intensifying the tension within her friendship with Lucas.
Page 17, panel 5 includes one of my favorite illustrations. Rye Hickman expertly conveys the terror on Rowan’s face and helps set the tone for what’s to come. It is a masterful depiction of the dynamics between the two characters, highlighting the artist’s skill in utilizing facial expressions to immerse readers in the scene emotionally and capture Rowan’s insecurities.”
Artist Rye Hickman: “The paneling in these pages is often very close on Rowan and Lucas, in the almost claustrophobic way every little conflict can squeeze a friendship with this kind of tension. After all, everything in life looms as large as possible when you’re a teen, especially fights with your best friend!”
