Jeremy Love's Bayou

A graphic novel set in 1930s Mississippi, Bayou is an American fairytale that is equal parts history and fantasy. The child heroine Lee watches in horror as a monster rising from the swamp kidnaps her white friend. Lee's innocent father is then accused of murdering the missing white girl.

To clear her father's name and save his life, Lee sets out on a fantastical journey to rescue her friend, journeying through a landscape populated by supernatural creatures based on Southern cultural archetypes - Br'er Rabbit,  lynching victims metamorphosed into winged fairies, and Bayou, the mighty green swamp dwelling creature who becomes Lee's guide. [Image on left is from Bayou Volume 1]

Together, Lee and Bayou attempt to confront the unseen mastermind Bossman, but on the way they must battle a horde of villains such as the bloodthirsty Stagolee,  the gigantic gluttonous kidnapper Cotton-Eyed Joe, and vicious Jim Crows.  [Image on right is from Bayou Vol. 2.]

Bayou's supporting characters include minorities rarely mentioned in mainstream American media, such as African-Native American families,  and FTM transgender raccoon Sarah/Cordell C. Coon.

Suggested by Queena Deboever.