Taproot: a story about a gardener and a ghost

Keezy Young is a queer comic artist and illustrator from the Pacific Northwest, currently in Seattle, WA.

They grew up drawing on their walls, stealing a few extra chapters by nightlight after bedtime, making graveyards for lost animals in the forest with their brother and sister, and adding monsters and flowers to the margins of every homework assignment. Any opportunity to con their teachers into letting them illustrate a book report instead of writing one was taken. Although their art is self-taught, they credit Digimon, Hiromu Arakawa, Trina Schart Hyman, Arthur Rackham, and Studio Ghibli as important influences.

Today, Keezy writes, draws, and designs their own young adult comics. Their stories are cute, eerie, and often dark, but almost always hopeful at their core. Their work is character-focused, and they use action, romance, and mystery to explore LGBTQIA characters and themes, since those are the stories they always looked for growing up, but could rarely find.

Release Date: July 5, 2022

Length: 128 pages

ISBN13: 9781637150733

"Taproot is like a garden for the heart, a warm and soulful story where nature is explored in all its forms. It's a pleasure to lose yourself in the beautiful artwork, and one of the loveliest queer romances I've ever read." —K. O'Neil, author of The Tea Dragon Society

"Taproot is a beautiful tale of how love can power us in all the best ways, make us selfless, even seek to right the wrongs and heal what’s been wrecked." —Black Nerd Problems

"Taproot approaches death with an honesty, respect, and resilience that you rarely see." —Women Write About Comics

"This is a gorgeous and quiet story about love, hauntings, and things that grow." —Powell's Books (Staff Pick)