The Sanctuary

An original, wordless graphic novel debut.

In Nate Neal’s first full length graphic novel, the author explores the primal mysteries and sordid inner workings of a Paleolithic cave-dwelling tribe, creating an original “silent” reading experience by using symbols instead of words.

When a mysterious nomad girl is offered up as an item of trade, she seeks refuge by forming a tenacious friendship with the local cave-painter turned outcast. Together they set out on a dangerous mission to bring truth to their corrupt tribe with the help of their new discovery (via some psychotropic mushrooms): drawings that tell a story. Subsequently, they become enmeshed in the violent power struggles and sensual intrigues between the alpha males and alpha females.

In Sanctuary, art, inspiration, and communication is in conflict with tradition and law, and the novel dramatizes the moral imperative of man facing the truth even at the cost of his, and society’s, lives.

Featuring its own delicately crafted Paleolithic language, The Sanctuary breaks new ground by bringing complex ideas to the page with primal immediacy and sophistication through Neal’s adroit use of pantomime storytelling that provide many layers of symbolism and meaning. This is a darkly comic journey through a prehistoric re-imagining of art and comics. 200 pages of black-and-white comics

Nate Neal was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is the co-founder of the short-lived comics anthology Hoax. He's drawn commercial strips for Nickelodeon Magazine (Truckhead), MAD Magazine's kids magazine (Spy vs. Spy Jr. and The Adventures of Willy Nilly), and eight stories for Fantagraphics' art comics anthology Mome.