The debut graphic novel from former Screaming Females frontwoman Marissa Paternoster is on the way. Merriment, by her and the founder of Screaming Females’ longtime label Don Giovanni, Joe Steinhardt, is out on March 19, distributed by Microcosm Publishing. They started working on it a few years ago, and here’s the synopsis:
As many of us do, Mack is having a hard time coping with life in New Jersey. Watching her friends figure their lives out while she is stuck living at home, Mack is looking for any kind of lifeline out of her Mom’s house and into the City where she is convinced she will be happy. Then again, it’s hard for anyone to be happy these days, a fact her mother will not let her forget. And what’s worse: she thinks she might have committed a murder. And that maybe, just maybe, the FBI is spying on her?
Merriment follows Mack on her quest for happiness and/or sanity, through the horrors of life, as she navigates existential dread, real life dread, and all the dread in between.
“Merriment does a great job depicting the way we communicate our most fundamental thoughts, the things that make us speak and act the way we do, our petty grievances, relationships with friends and family, cultural annoyances and ultimately the way we resolve the unrelenting tension that threads through every day,” Steve Albini says of the book.
NJ comedian Chris Gethard adds, “New Jersey and mental illness go hand in hand, and this beautifully rendered art masterfully explores the relationship between the two.”
You can pre-order Merriment now, and see the cover art below.
Screaming Females broke up after 18 years back in December.
