Oni Press has announced a new horror comic from Oni legend Cullen Bunn and rising star Arjuna Susini, Lamentation. Issue one will be the first of three double sized, 48 page issues telling a chilling story about the intersection of shadow and light, dream and nightmare, and life and death. Here is the official synopsis:
After weeks of grueling rehearsals, a new production is set to begin at the famed Requiem Theatre: Razide's Lament, three acts of gothic horror set inside a haunted castle…with a story that some say is more than mere fantasy. Under the stern rule of a dedicated but temperamental director, the script seems to be ever-changing, and, more mysterious still, our lead actress has found herself cast in the role of a lifetime without so much as an audition. Her grand debut is fast approaching–and, with it, a barrage of razors in the night that will terrorize audiences and actors alike. There is no exit, no escape, and when the curtain finally rises, Razide himself will take center stage to cross the threshold into the unholy darkness that lies just beyond…
Reading that synopsis and looking at the art it reminds me of two different works, The Phantom of the Opera and stories about the Lovecraftian elder god The King in Yellow. More or less, both are about these mysterious figures utterly dedicated and more than a little crazy about their art. This seems to also have a focus on a leading lady the way Phantom does, but I definitely get the sense we’ll be diving into more of the horror that stories of the King in Yellow illicit. In fact, Cullen has said of the story,
One of the great things about horror is that there are so many different flavors. Cosmic horror. Body horror. Horror comedy. Slashers. Action-horror. With LAMENTATION, I get to play in the realms of surreal terror and gothic mystery… …Here we have a story that takes place not just in one world, not just in two, but in many. The hapless actors in Razide's Lament find themselves cast from one nightmare to another, some trying desperately to find their way out, some hoping to understand the situation in which they're trapped, and some simply surrendering their own sanity to the whims of this supernatural play and metaphysical theater. I'm excited for readers to experience this story because it's going to surprise them, haunt them, and leave them thinking about it long after the final curtain falls. In a lot of ways, I feel like I didn't just write about Razide here. It feels more like I'm unleashing him into the world.
Honestly, from that quote this comic sounds really good. I’ll share some of our first looks at the art too because it looks really impressive. I really like the covers for issue one, the designs are really well done by Maan House, Kyle Hotz, and Yanick Paquette. I especially love the cover by Hotz, the second image below, it looks like it perfectly sets the tone for the comic. If you also want to read this when it comes out, you can find it on shelves on free comic book day, May 3, 2023.
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