Worldtr33 writer James Tynion IV will team with Children of the Woods artist Joshua Hixson for a new Christmas-themed psychological crime thriller titled The Deviant.
They’ll be joined by letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou for this “pitch-black holiday horror story” that’ll run for nine issues.
“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.”
Here’s the full description 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 the kind of book I’ve been wanting to make for a long time,” Hixson said. “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.”
Here’s a look at some interior pages from the first issue:
The new miniseries kicks off Nov. 15.