An Outbreak of Witchcraft: A Graphic Novel of the Salem Witch Trials

A gripping tale of paranoia at its worst, this bewitching narrative nonfiction graphic novel visually imagines the haunting details behind the Salem witch trials.

From 1692 to 1693, fear reigned in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. The night Abigail Williams and Betty Paris first accused their servant of witchcraft was only the beginning.

Several more accusations would follow suit, sparking a widespread panic that consumed Salem in one of the longest cases of witch trials in America, where more than twenty innocent lives were lost, and mistrust ran amok.

The community was in ruins, from the afflicted who fanned the flames of superstition to the judges who used their power unjustly and the accused who were falsely charged and hanged in consequence. In the absence of due process and with hysteria abounding, no one in Salem was safe.

Journey into how it all began in this arresting, true-to-life look at how lies became facts, friends turned to foes, and loved ones turned to enemies.

Deborah Noyes is the author of nonfiction and fiction for young readers and adults, including Lady Icarus, Ten Days a Madwoman, A Hopeful Heart, The Magician and the Spirits, and The Ghosts of Kerfol. She has also compiled and edited the short story anthologies Gothic!, The Restless Dead, and Sideshow.

M. Duffy resides in Richmond, Virginia with their husband Kyle and four cats. Rev, a female orange tabby, leads their clowder of familiars. Every drawing is personally supervised by Rev’s keen eye. Duffy is a cartoonist, printmaker, educator and officiant, and has drawn for such companies as AMC, Archaia, and Dark Horse. They think storytelling is the coolest, most human thing ever and intend to do that until the day they die.