Detective Comics writer Ram V and Lady Killer creator Joëlle Jones will add a taste of gothic horror to contemporary capitalism in Through Red Windows, a new miniseries coming from DSTLRY.
Described as “a white-knuckle supernatural thriller,” the story focuses on a young financier who gets the opportunity of a lifetime, only to realize that it comes with a steep price.
“Through Red Windows looks at old and obscene wealth as Eldritch Horror and bears witness to the terrifying and absurd lengths its apostles will go to, in its worship,” V said. “It is the nature of accumulated wealth and also of late-stage capitalism to be entirely preoccupied with their own perpetuation. Beyond some sort of critical mass, I imagine, this self-perpetuation takes on a mind and existence of its own. Like some monstrous thing whose unfathomable lifetime is spent forcing humanity to exploit itself— sacrifice itself, in its name. Within this premise, I want to tell a story of choices, made in a world that indoctrinates its working youth to value profit and wealth perpetuation beyond all else. Will we end up on some cosmic balance-sheet? Or will we be saved by foolish things like love and relationships and guilt and hope?”
Here’s how DSTLRY describes the series:
When ailing Plutocrat, Harlan Roderick, invites his young protégé, Athul Laal, to live at Roderick Place in downtown Manhattan, what Athul believes to be his first step into the circle of the world’s elite soon turns into a living nightmare. Athul discovers that Harlan and his illness are inextricably connected to the 73-story building. Behind each door hides secrets and monsters from both Harlan and Athul’s lives.
“Merging the messy visual tradition of horror with the austere, right-angle brutalist look of modern business has been an amazing challenge, and Through Red Windows is by far the most disturbing story I’ve ever illustrated,” Jones said. “Ram and I are cultivating a new nightmare that I’ve deeply enjoyed channeling on the page.”
The new series debuts in October, with two covers by Jones, shown above, and unquestionably a whole bunch of variants.