Mama Came Callin’
Written by Ezra Clayton Daniels and Illustrated by Camilla Sucre
Final designs for main characters: Kira and Sedale
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 Crow: 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 message: “He’s coming for you.”
Earliest designs for Kira and Sedale and Noni, George and Steve.
“Mama Came Callin’” is my debut graphic novel. It is a labor of love and story dear to my heart. I was first brought onto this project to contribute sequential and concept art for the pitch and then I became it’s official illustrator. The colors for the limited color palette was chosen by me and the decision to have the black border was inspired by old noir films and gritty B movies. When the a frame close in on our hero, suffocating them.