Margins
Mama Came Callin' book cover
Mama Came Callin'
A Graphic Novel
2026
First Published
3.60
Average Rating
240
Number of Pages

A gripping graphic horror novel set in the Florida bayou, following a young biracial woman as she uncovers her estranged father’s role in a grisly hate crime. Kirah was born from an improbable interracial relationship that, in central Florida’s infamous Asurupa County, defied all the odds. But her idyllic childhood was shattered by an urban legend come to life. The “Gatorman” was a nightmare on the lips of kids and grown-ups alike all the way back to Jim a monster with the body of a man, the head of an alligator—and a taste for Black children. That’s who crawled into Kirah’s window when Kirah was just five years old. According to the police, it was Kirah’s own father who put on that gator mask and tried to kill her. Twenty years later, Kirah works hard to build a life unburdened by the traumatic events of her childhood. Just when it seems like she’s managed to find her stride, her dad, fresh out of prison, crashes back into her world with a chilling “He’s coming for you.” Finally forced to face the hideous family history she’s been avoiding, Kirah sets off to discover where, and who, she truly came from. And the more she learns, the more disturbing the whole picture becomes. Turns out there’s a lot more to the Gatorman than Kirah thought, and even he isn’t through with her just yet. A clever hybrid of swamp noir, slasher horror, and social satire—and brought to life by Camilla Sucre’s vivid illustrations—Mama Came Callin’ is a story about family and legacies, both the ones we inherit and the ones we can’t escape.

Avg Rating
3.60
Number of Ratings
65
5 STARS
15%
4 STARS
42%
3 STARS
34%
2 STARS
6%
1 STARS
3%
goodreads

Author

Ezra Claytan Daniels
Ezra Claytan Daniels
Author · 7 books
Ezra Claytan Daniels is a writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles, CA. His work has been featured at the Fantoche International Animation Festival in Baden, Switzerland; the Fumetto International Comics Festival in Lucerne, Haarlem Stripdagen in the Netherlands; and the Whitney Museum. His graphic novel, Upgrade Soul, was the recipient of the 2017 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics, nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album, and was named one of the best books of 2018 by Publishers Weekly, Vulture, The Library Journal, and Paste.
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