Today, the Comics Beat is proud to share an exclusive cover reveal of THE MAN WHO CAME DOWN THE ATTIC STAIRS, an upcoming original graphic novel from Ignatz Award nominated cartoonist Celine Loup. The Man Who Came Down The Attic Stairs is the latest release from BOOM! Studios imprint Archaia, which has been publishing some terrific work these past few years such as Mouse Guard by David Petersen, About Betty’s Boob by Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau, Bolivar by Sean Rubin and Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramón Pérez. The Man Who Came Down The Attic Stairs will be available in comic book shops on September 18, 2019 and on September 24 in bookstores with digital copies available at the same time.
I haven’t talked as much as I should have on this site about Celine Loup’s work. She’s an absolutely phenomenal artist. Her comics Honey and Mother were stunning. She is able to convey ranges of complex emotions in her characters which makes every characters you meet immediately compelling. Creating a horror tale is a fantastic way to showcase her artistic skills. She has done illustrations for The New Yorker, Variety, Lucky Peach and The New York Times. In addition to her Ignatz Awards nomination, she’s received acclaim from American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators and CMYK.
Here’s how BOOM! Studios describe the The Man Who Came Down The Attic Stairs:
Emma is excited to start a family in her new home, but after her child’s birth she finds her world turning upside-down. The infant cries like it’s scared of something, or someone, and Emma’s sleepless nights quickly drive a wedge between her and her husband, who seems uncharacteristically detached. When Emma begins to see strange things in the house, the line between reality and fantasy blurs and her grasp of what’s real and what’s not becomes even more clouded. Is something unnatural haunting the nursery? And what if it also affected her husband, who ventured up into the attic when they first arrived…
The Man Who Came Down The Attic Stairs is inspired by the work of Shirley Jackson and Ira Levin and is a mix of horror and suspense that is capturing “the isolation of postpartum depression, while exploring the very real fears associated with new motherhood.” Celine Loup mentions: “I wanted to tell a story about a fear that women dare not speak aloud, not even to themselves, often until after it’s too late. Motherhood brings so much joy to the women who experience it, but for many it can feel like a prison, and no one can be certain until they’ve crossed a point of no return how it will be for them.” said creator, Celine Loup. “Horror’s greatest potential is the gift of empathy, and I hope THE MAN WHO CAME DOWN THE ATTIC STAIRS will create a space in which we can reach out to each other in times of personal crisis without fear of judgement.”
The biggest challenge when welcoming a new child is the lack of sleep. It’s very difficult on the mind and spirit to suddenly be lacking sleep. Everything gets harder when you have no energy or time to recuperate. My wife and I struggled for a long time with that when our son was born. Constantly worrying about whether or not we would be able to sleep, and for how long, or if it was ever going to end. We felt trapped bythis constant fear of being unfit for parenting, or that we had made a wrong decision to have a child. It was a very difficult time for my wife and I. Exploring the darker side of motherhood and turmoil of emotions that comes with having a child is a brilliant idea. I can hardly wait to read this graphic novel.
Without further ado, see below for an exclusive cover preview of THE MAN WHO CAME DOWN THE ATTIC STAIRS.
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