FUNERAL OF THE HEART by LEAH HAYES

Funeral of the Heart is Leah Hayes' stylistic tour-de-force and graphic novel debut, featuring a series of short stories by Hayes and illustrated entirely using the otherworldly medium of scratchboard.  Hayes creates a world of unease and ambiguity populated by obsessive characters, forlorn animals, and mysterious, inanimate objects; odd occurrences, unnerving deaths and unconventional but genuine love bind these characters and their stories together. The stories are hand lettered and juxtaposed against stark, highly stylized, graphically powerful, black and white images. Stories with titles like "The Bathroom," "The Needle," and "The Hair" sound innocuous, but they aren't fables that should be read to one's children — unless your children enjoy being made uneasy by beautiful things.

120-page 8" x 10" softcover
Cover price: $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-56097-888-6

In 2004, Fantagraphics published Hayes' debut, Holy Moly, a sketchbook presented in a unique comic book format styled to look like a classroom composition book, complete with rounded corners.  This is Hayes' first graphic novel. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, and performs music under the name Scary Mansion.

http://www.leahhayes.com/
http://www.myspace.com/scarymansion