Youth Group

by Jordan Morris, Bowen McCurdy (Illustrator)

Overview

Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in this darkly funny YA graphic novel.

When cynical, gothy Kay lets her mom talk her into joining the youth group at their church, she's prepared for the dorky sing-alongs and the cheesy slogans about dodging temptation. What she isn't prepared for is walking in on the clean-cut youth group leaders, Meg and Cortland, in the middle of a real-deal exorcism.

Turns out these wholesome Christian teens are demon-hunting soldiers in a secret war that’s heating up fast, and even if Kay wanted to stay on the sidelines, she doesn’t have a choice – she’s a “Blight,” a human who demons can’t possess, and that makes her a target.

But Kat's in good hands with her new friends – for them, fighting literal demons is all in a Sunday’s work!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250789235
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	149,576
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 6.15(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jordan Morris is a writer and podcaster living in Los Angeles. He's worked on projects for Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and Disney. He's also the co-host of the well-liked but not super popular podcast Jordan, Jesse, Go! He lives with one cat and still knows all the fatalities for the original Mortal Kombat. He is beyond thrilled to be making comics. Seriously, it feels like a dream.

Bowen (Bones) McCurdy is a 26-year-old cartoonist. She's been creating comics since she was 13, and very happily made it her career. Her favorite genres to work with are horror and romance, so most of her work is a combination of the two. She has worked with Marvel, Boom!Box, IDW, and First Second. Her first graphic novel, Specter Inspectors, co-created with Kaitlyn Musto, was published by Boom! Studios in November 2021 and won the YALSA award for Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

Editorial Reviews

2024-04-20
After attending an evangelical Christian church, a girl becomes involved with a group of young exorcists.

This graphic novel set in the 1990s follows Kay, a teen who agrees to attend church with her newly divorced mother. Kay’s father makes her feel like she’s his “fourth priority behind work, golf, and hitting on the hostess at Chili’s.” While her mom joins the adults for sermons by the bearded, ponytailed pastor, Kay attends the youth group, where the young leaders talk about avoiding temptation and perform an Ace of Base cover (“I saw the Christ / and it opened up my eyes”). Later, Kay is caught spying on the pastor and youth group leaders, who are attempting to exorcise a demon from a local man in a cabin in the woods. It emerges that Kay’s a blight (someone impervious to demonic possession), making her blood highly desirable to demons, who take her father as bait. Needing allies if they hope to prevail, the evangelicals join forces with young Catholic, Jewish, and Wiccan exorcists. The expressive, delightfully over-the-top illustrations capture the era and enhance the strong pacing. Kay feels some reluctance toward her mother’s church, but all the religions are treated with respect during the communal fight against evil. This work reads as a stand-alone work but would make for a great series opener. Main characters read white; the supporting cast is racially diverse.

Full of comedic beats, demon expulsions, and ’90s camp. (Graphic paranormal. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews

04/15/2024

Three teens embrace their differences and unite to fight evil in this high-octane foray into the demon-slayer-comics meta by Morris (Out on a Limb) and McCurdy (Specter Inspectors). It’s the 1990s in Orange County, Calif., and Kay Radford reluctantly joins the youth group of her newly divorced mother’s evangelical church. Soon after, Kay unexpectedly stumbles upon youth group leaders Meg and Cortland exorcizing a demon from Cortland’s roommate. They enlist Kay in their exorcist cohort, to which she contributes her abilities as a Blight—a human who can’t be possessed by demons. As paranormal activity increases, Kay’s crew seeks strength in numbers, recruiting Jewish, Wiccan, and Catholic demon-fighting teams to work together against the creatures: “Anyone of any faith is invited as long as they love kicking demon butts.” McCurdy’s artwork nods to the fashion, music, and pop culture of the decade; saturated colors enrich the mood, especially during demon-fighting sequences, while layered panels enhance the feeling of movement. When these teens aren’t fighting monsters, they’re combatting adult-imposed barriers, flourishing when the unity of their righteous purpose trumps tired societal norms in this fast-paced adventure. Main characters read as white. Ages 14–up. Author’s agent: Dara Hyde, Hill Nadell Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Tamara Kawar, DeFiore & Co. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A distinctly 1990s backdrop with the era’s satanic panic, pager tech, and quirky slang lightens the mood of demon fighting and religious existentialism." –Booklist, starred review

"Full of comedic beats, demon expulsions, and ’90s camp." –Kirkus

From the Publisher