New upstart publisher DSTLRY continues its rollout with another star-studded series announcement. Creators Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay are teaming for Somna, set to launch in November. The series is one the pair, who will each provide writing and art for the title, have reportedly been developing for over a decade, and is described as “erotic folk-horror.”

Main cover by Cloonan

Here’s how DSTLRY describes Somna more fully:

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. 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 48-page issue of Somna will be presented in an oversized, square-bound format. The new series spins out of “What Blighted Flame Burns in Thee?”, Cloonan & Lotay’s entry in DSTLRY’s upcoming premiere anthology one-shot, The Devil’s Cut. Richard Starkings provides the letters for that story, though the letterer for Somna is not identified in the announcement. It’s the latest series announcement from DSTLRY after Gone, a new book from Jock that also gets its start in The Devil’s Cut.

Lotay’s open-to-order variant for the first issue

In the statement announcing the series, Cloonan and Lotay described the long road to bringing the book to readers:

“Somna culminates from a decade plus reveling in the darkest mythologies of history,” co-creator Becky Cloonan explains. “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,” co-creator Tula Lotay continues. “Becky and I have been finessing this brutally dark and sexy journey for years, and there’s been nothing like it before in comics.” 

Look for Somna to arrive in stores in November.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR