Multiple Eisner Award-winning writer James Tynion IV (W0RLDTR33, The Department of Truth) and acclaimed artist Joshua Hixson (The Plot, Children of the Woods), and award-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou unite for a pitch-black holiday horror story in The Deviant. This chilling, nine-issue miniseries is set to launch in November from Image Comics.
As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called « Deviant Killer, » who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax.
“The Deviant is something a little different," said Tynion IV. "A dark, focused psychological crime thriller where I get to explore the intersection of my queer identity and a broader scope of cultural transgression and deviance. This is my response to Silence of the Lambs and Jeffrey Dahmer serving as my first real glimpses of my queer identity as a young closeted Midwestern boy. It’s one of the darkest and most personal stories I’ve ever written. It’s also a story about Christmas.”
Hixson added: “The Deviant is the kind of book i’ve been wanting to make for a long time. While I’ve been no stranger to the horror genre in my career of making comics, this story scratches a particular itch and is unlike anything I’ve been a part of. And to get to do it with James, Steve, and Hassan at Image Comics has been so creatively rewarding. I’m really excited for people to read it this holiday season.”
The Deviant #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, November 15:
THE DEVIANT #2 (OF 9)
Arriving: December 20, 2023
Lunar Code: 1023IM305
Diamond ID:BUY
Cover price: $3.99
The Deviant Killer was apprehended half a century ago. So who’s behind the grisly slaying of a young man in a Chicago department store…and why does Michael see so much of himself in the man locked behind bars for the original murders? JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33) and JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot) cut deeper into their Christmas horror tale, just in time for the holidays.