This July, one teenaged girl will have to fight for control of her own body. Writer Joanne Starer, artist Khary Randolph, and letterer Deron Bennett have teamed for Sirens of the City, a new urban fantasy series coming from publisher BOOM! Studios. The series follows a young runaway who must fend off otherworldly creatures in order to have an abortion.
Here’s how BOOM! Studios describes Sirens of the City:
New York City. 1980s.
Runaway teen Layla struggles to survive the mean streets, far from home. Meanwhile, every supernatural creature–from sirens to incubi–descends upon the city…all vying for control of Layla and the child-to-be she never wanted growing inside her.
Sirens of the City was originally published by Starer and Randolph online as part of their Glass Eye Studios Substack newsletter. Two chapters of the series are currently available to read via Substack for free and paid subscribers. Along with a main cover by Randolph, the first issue of the series in print will sport variant covers by Jenny Frison, Lee Garbett, and David Mack.
In a statement announcing BOOM bringing the series to print for the first time, Starer and Randolph both elaborated on what the series is about:
“Sirens of the City is a story about a girl who has to fight monsters to end a pregnancy she doesn’t want. It was supposed to be a metaphor. I guess it’s not anymore,” said Joanne Starer.
“Sirens of the City melds our love of the 80s, music, and fantasy, while still dealing with topics that are grounded and close to home. It’s a dream project to bring to life,” said Khary Randolph.
As Starer alludes to, with Roe v. Wade having been overturned roughly nine months ago, the battle for women’s bodily autonomy has never been more of a real thing. Putting a supernatural spin on it is an interesting angle to take, and Starer and Randolph seem more than up for the task.
Check out variant covers for the first issue by Frison and Mack, as well as an interior preview, below. Sirens of the City #1 is due out in stores and digitally in July 2023.
