Sammy Harkham

Fourteen years in the making, renowned and beloved graphic novelist Sammy Harkham finally delivers his epic story of artistic ambition, the heartbreak it can bring, and what it means to be human

'You can burn in hell.'
 
Set primarily in Los Angeles in 1971, BLOOD OF THE VIRGIN is the story of twenty‑seven‑year‑old Seymour, an Iraqi Jewish immigrant film editor who works for an exploitation film production company. Sammy Harkham brings us into the underbelly of Los Angeles during a crucial evolutionary moment in the industry from the last wheeze of the studio system to the rise of independent filmmaking.
 
Seymour, his wife, and their new baby struggle as he tries to make it in the movie business, writing screenplays on spec and pining for the chance to direct. When his boss buys one of his scripts for a project called BLOOD OF THE VIRGIN and gives Seymour the chance to direct it, what follows is a surreal, tragicomic making-of journey. As Seymour’s blind ambition propels the movie, his home life grows increasingly fraught. The film’s production becomes a means to spiral out into time and space, resulting in an epic graphic novel that explores the intersection of twentieth‑century America, parenthood, sex, the immigrant experience, the dawn of early Hollywood, and, shockingly, the Holocaust.
 
Like a cosmic kaleidoscope, BLOOD OF THE VIRGIN shifts and evolves with each panel, widening its context as the story unfolds, building an intricate web of dreams and heartbreak, allowing the reader to zoom in to the novel’s core: the bittersweet cost of coming into one’s own.

Blood of the Virgin

Powerful and impulsive cartooning of the highest caliber still exists in the short form; you just have to look. For all these lonely lovers, Kramers Ergot fights the good fight and gathers many of the best and brightest together in one giant, oversized collection. For a few moments, you can fool yourself into believing in a reality where "comics" is vital and powerful, and can still make you lose it with laughter.Kramers Ergot 9 will feature the work of Michael Deforge, Noel Freibert, Steve Weissman, Anya Davidson, Stefan Marx, Abraham Diaz, Leon Sadler, Julia Gfrörer, Adam Buttrick, Kim Deitch, Ben Jones, Andy Burkholder, Antony Huchette, Trevor Alixopulos, Antoine Cossé, Archer Prewitt, Kevin Huizenga, Renee French, and many other greats.

Kramers Ergot #9

Kramers Ergot #1

Crickets #5

Kramer's Ergot Four

Offers a collection of graphic stories, including "Somersaulting" and "Poor Sailor."

Sammy Harkham

About

Books

Join the club