THE GHOSTKEEPER

In this debut, an unconventional therapist for ghosts with his own emotional baggage helps wayward spirits find closure and peacefully navigate their way to the afterlife.

The residents of Rookwood, who regard ghosts as a nuisance, summon Dorian Leith (who travels with his grandmother’s ghost in tow) to help them with their haunted houses. Possessing ghost-sight, which allows him to see the spirits, he uses therapeutic methods to guide his clients through their issues and heal their rot, a ghostly ailment that manifests from feelings of fear or regret, so they may pass through Death’s Door. By contrast, exorcists use painful, toxic gas to expel ghosts and scoff at Dorian’s methods. But when the frightened ghost of the local gravekeeper’s daughter steals the key to Death’s Door, the ghosts discover they’re trapped in limbo. They turn to Dorian for assistance as their fear fuels rot and chaos erupts in the town. Taylor deftly navigates heavy themes, while offering the hopeful reminder that, “alive or dead, healing takes patience.” A twist puts a fresh spin on the chosen one narrative, emphasizing the importance of rest and boundaries rather than unending sacrifice and offering a love letter to altruists. The dynamic artwork includes humorous touches and shows an atmospheric Victorian world inhabited by racially diverse people and blue-tinted ghosts; Dorian is a youthful, light-skinned man with blue eyes and a shock of white hair.

Powerfully, tenderly, and empathetically examines death, grief, and the afterlife.