Lamont’s father was not a good man. And now Lamont’s father is dead. Oni Press announced HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA, a story for anyone struggling with both inner and outer demons. An original graphic novel from Ravi Teixeira (A Quick & Easy Guide to Coming Out), HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA is a powerful and compelling tale that deals with the fallout from tragedy, and the sometimes-terrifying journey to healing.
When Lamont arrives in the tiny Appalachian town of Heaven, West Virginia, its lush landscape feels stubbornly at odds with the roiling anxiety that’s come to define his inner life. Living there and learning the art of foraging and tea-making from his kind, stoic aunt LaToya should be idyllic — even a paradise. But in the shadows of Heaven’s woods, Lamont sees a dark, hulking figure, long, glimmering teeth, and piercing red eyes. No one else seems to see this beast . . . not his aunt, and not the handsome cowboy, Coyote, whose gentle voice evokes the comforting, electric aroma of LaToya’s brews. Escaping its voraciously hungry pursuit feels impossible, and Lamont will have to face more than the darkness of the woods to do so.
“Lamont is me, Lamont is you, Lamont is my own father and his father, and anyone who has struggled with losing someone they couldn’t love, and who couldn’t love them,” said cartoonist Ravi Teixeira. “HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA is my love letter to finding love when you’ve been denied it, being haunted by your past, and the rolling hills and lush, ancient forests of Appalachia.”
Teixeira is a Cape Verdean American transgender cartoonist living abroad in Canada whose comics tackles trans and gay sexuality and grief during tough times. Their work has been nominated for the prestigious GLAAD Awards. In 2019, their work was featured in the Prism Award winning DATES anthology, published by Margins. In 2024, Oni Press published their acclaimed graphic novel A QUICK AND EASY GUIDE TO COMING OUT and their work was featured in the BECOMING WHO WE ARE anthology (AWBW), which was recommended by the New York Times.
A singular and seductive meditation on the complexity of grief, healing, and the power of the natural world by cartoonist Ravi Teixeira. Forget “Almost.” HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA is set to arrive in bookstores on November 11th, 2025.
