SDCC ’23: DSTLRY previews THE DEVIL’S CUT

By Diego Higuera

Saturday had what could potentially be one of the most important panels ever visited at San Diego Comic-Con 2023. The panel, titled “DSTLRY: Drinking from The Devil’s Cut” introduced attendees to DSTLRY, a new publisher that is redefining creator-owned comics. Just like their debut book, the aptly-named The Devil’s Cut, available at their booth, the term “the devil’s cut” refers to the most potent spirits captured in wood. DSTLRY aimed to emphasize that their comics would be equally strong and potent.

To showcase this strength, the panel featured a lineup of the heavy-hitter contributors to the book, including Tula Lotay, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jock, Joëlle Jones, Marc Bernardin, Ariela Kristantina, Mirka Andolfo, Becky Cloonan, and Ram V, alongside DSTLRY’s founding editor, Will Dennis. Each of the panelists delved into their respective stories in The Devil’s Cut and what they meant for the publisher’s near future.

Jock was the first to describe his contribution, “The Stowaway,” from the world of recently-announced upcoming series Gone. He explained, “There’s more than a little taste of the world of Gone, and [“The Stowaway”] features a little girl named Abby, who is a stowaway but has lost her way in this short story.”

Next, Snyder discussed his upcoming title and story in The Devil’s Cut, “White Boat.” He revealed that he and artist Francesco Francavilla both share a love for classic horror and crafted a tale centered around seafaring terror. Snyder said, “The story revolves around a writer for a small maritime magazine who unexpectedly gets an invitation to cover a report on ‘The White Boat,’ the most expensive yacht ever created, with a mysterious owner. Without giving too much away, he gets on the boat to do a report, but it starts sailing away, and he doesn’t know what’s happening.”

Cloonan and Lotay then discussed their part of the book, titled “What Blighted Flame Burns in Thee.” Cloonan explained, “Tula actually came up with the concept, and then I broke it down into pages and turned it into character designs. A lot of it was inspired by our love for Hammer Horror films and spooky scary stories with a sexy, cool twist.”

Joelle Jones shared her work on the combined effort of herself and writer Stephanie Phillips in “What’s Mine is Hearse,” a story about a woman who falls in love with a corpse. Jones expressed her feelings about their collaboration, saying, “I wish Stephanie was here. She wrote it, and I think she knew I wanted something a little offbeat, and she definitely delivered.”

The sneak peeks didn’t stop there, with additional glimpses into James Tynion IV’s “Spectrograph,” Marc Bernardin and Ariela Kristantina’s “Shepherd,” Mirka Andolfo’s “A Blessed Day,” and Ram V’s “Waiting to Die.”

DSTLRY already boasted a powerhouse creative lineup, and in The Devil’s Cut has curated a book of stories that fans can eagerly look forward to. The future looks promising for this star-studded cast of writers and artists.

Miss any of our earlier SDCC ’23 coverage? Find it all here!