IDENTICAL HC (MR) (16 Sep Release)

Identical is the story of two twin girls born in the not-so-distant future¸ where fertility treatments have begun to use new¸ AI “technology.” Their mother¸ desperate to have a baby¸ has sought out this new technology to get pregnant. After they are born¸ she slowly begins to suspect that one twin is human... while the other is not. Narrated by one of the twins themselves¸ Identical takes the reader down an uncanny odyssey of self-discovery... one where you are never sure which “self” you really are. Hayes uses her own experience as an identical twin to explore the realms of sameness and difference¸ separation and unity. After many years of illustrating books about others (Not Funny Ha-Ha: A Handbook for Something Hard)¸ Identical marks Hayes’s first time turning the pen inward — bravely exploring the powerful bond that has defined her entire life. Hayes’s engaging and aesthetically avant garde contemporary storytelling¸ combining elements of science fiction and magic realism¸ make for one of the most unique graphic novels of 2026.