Four years in the making, the exact duration required to bring the prized crop to harvest, Ginseng Roots reaches its finale.

Craig drives across the country for his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary and wrestles with the ghosts of his childhood.

His mother dreams of the Christian Rapture, his father sleeps in a barn with Mexican migrants, Phil imbibes ginseng moonshine, and farmers leave the ginseng industry to grow marijuana instead. This double-length issue sprawls across rural Wisconsin, reflecting on aging parents, changing America, and where to find a sense of belonging.

As Craig’s mother says, “It didn’t work for us to have a family root.” All this, plus backup pages revealing the behind-the-scenes process from thumbnails to edits to pencils.

Author/Artist: Craig Thompson
Publisher: Uncivilized Comics
Page Count: 32pp
Size: 6 x 9
Notes: saddle-stitched, 2-color
Date of Publication: October 10, 2023