Creators Tula Lotay and Becky Cloonan are teaming up for a new creator-owned title called Somna, through new publisher DSTLRY. Both Lotay and Cloonan will each contribute to the writing and art, making their working relationship on Somna a rarity in the mainstream comic industry.
As for the story, which will be previewed in DSTLRY's Devil's Cut anthology one-shot, Somna revolves around a murder mystery set amid the English witch hunts of the 1600s.
"Set amidst the terrifying backdrop of the witch hunts in a quiet 1600s English village, Somna follows one woman’s escape from the confines of her puritanical world. Ingrid is unhappily married to Roland, the town’s bailiff and chief witch hunter, who has embarked on a single-minded quest to purge the 'heretics' in their midst," reads DSTLRY's official description of Somna.
"After a prominent town leader is found murdered, accusations fly and no one is above reproach from Roland's deadly crusade. Ingrid has her suspicions about who the real murderer is, but even as she searches for the truth, she's pursued by a shadowy figure. Ingrid gravitates to the foreboding phantom in ways she can’t resist; does this otherworldly seduction hold the key to the mystery? Or will he damn Ingrid’s soul to the blackest circle of Hell?"
Each issue of Somna, which is described as an "erotic folk-horror," will be 48 pages. DSTLRY has not disclosed the series length.
"Somna culminates from a decade plus reveling in the darkest mythologies of history," Becky Cloonan explains in the announcement. "Being able to explore these lifetime obsessions alongside one of my favorite creators has made this a career-defining project."
"I can't express how excited I am to finally see Somna conjured into existence," adds Lotay. "Becky and I have been finessing this brutally dark and sexy journey for years, and there's been nothing like it before in comics."
Somna #1 goes on sale in November with a pair of covers, including one from Tula Lotay and one from Becky Cloonan.
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