Douek, Cormack + Birch reunite for ‘Breath of Shadows’

The horror miniseries about a 1960s rock star kicks off in February.

Writer Rich Douek, artist Alex Cormack and letterer Justin Birch return to IDW next year for Breath of Shadows, another horror miniseries following their work on Road of Bones and Sea of Sorrows. This one will fall under the IDW Originals banner that’s being shepherded by editor Mark Doyle.

Breath of Shadows is the story of a 1960s rock star/heroin addict who goes looking for an easy solution to his addiction in the South American jungle, only to find “primal horrors that put his own inner demons to shame.”

“With Breath of Shadows, Alex and I wanted to continue exploring the dark themes we began with in Road of Bones and Sea of Sorrows,” Douek said. “I absolutely love working with Alex—Breath of Shadows is the latest example of how our creative partnership has evolved over the years into something awesome, and I hope to be working with him for a long, long time.”

Here’s the full description from IDW:

It’s 1968. On the fast track to becoming one of his era’s most iconic rock stars, Jimmy Meadows should be basking in the glow of newly acquired wealth and fame. Instead, crushed by the weight of a debilitating heroin addiction, Jimmy is on the verge of losing everything—until an old friend tips him off to an unorthodox treatment method hidden in the depths of the South American jungle. With fair-weather friends, local opportunists and industry sycophants in tow, Jimmy sets off in search of what he’s sure will be a miracle cure. But as the excursion veers off course and the realities of their environment begin to bleed together with Jimmy’s paranoia and drug-induced hallucinations, the team quickly descends into a nightmare of bloody chaos populated by unspeakable horrors that surpass even the most brutal drug trip.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the jungle,” Cormack said. “When Rich and I first started working together on Road of Bones, I told him that, along with a snow-covered landscape, I’ve always wanted to draw something on the ocean—which eventually became the foundation of Sea of Sorrows—and something in the jungle, which is now Breath of Shadows. I’m immensely proud of this book, and I hope it gives all of you the creeps!”

Cormack drew the main cover (above) for the first issue, which will have variant covers by Björn Barends:

and Francesco Francavilla:

“I’m very happy to be publishing another book by Rich and Alex,” Doyle said. “We’ve been bringing in a lot of great new talent to IDW, but it was important to us to also continue working with the talent who have been here telling great stories over the years—and Rich and Alex fit that bill.”

Look for the first issue next February.

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