You Are Cordially Invited to Witness Three, Double-Sized Acts of Terror Beginning May 3 – In Stores for Free Comic Book Day 2023!

Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book and graphic novel publisher is proud to announce LAMENTATION #1 (of 3) – the first of three DOUBLE-SIZED, 48-PAGE issues returning Oni legend and master of horror Cullen Bunn (THE SIXTH GUN, Harrow County, Basilisk) to his roots alongside rising star Arjuna Susini (MADE MEN) for a darkly glamorous tale of bone-splintering terror at the intersection of shadow and light… dream and nightmare… life and the grim specter of Death himself.

“Cullen Bunn reigns as one of the comic medium’s most formidable writers of horror and the supernatural. As the architect of some of Oni’s greatest and most beloved series – from THE SIXTH GUN to THE DAMNED to HELHEIM and beyond – we’re thrilled to welcome Cullen back to the forefront of Oni’s creative vanguard with a series that is as packed with shocks and suspense as it is content,” said Oni Press Publisher & President Hunter Gorinson. “Told in three double-sized issues that mirror the acts of the ruinous theatrical performance within, Cullen and Arjuna have constructed an elaborate, Giallo-inspired descent into tension, paranoia, and pain that will leave you guessing until the curtain falls.”

After weeks of grueling rehearsals, a new production is set to begin at the famed Requiem Theatre: Razide’s Lament, three acts of gothic horror set inside a haunted castle…with a story that some say is more than mere fantasy. Under the stern rule of a dedicated but temperamental director, the script seems to be ever-changing, and, more mysterious still, our lead actress has found herself cast in the role of a lifetime without so much as an audition. Her grand debut is fast approaching–and, with it, a barrage of razors in the night that will terrorize audiences and actors alike. There is no exit, no escape, and when the curtain finally rises, Razide himself will take center stage to cross the threshold into the unholy darkness that lies just beyond…

“One of the great things about horror is that there are so many different flavors. Cosmic horror. Body horror. Horror comedy. Slashers. Action-horror. With LAMENTATION, I get to play in the realms of surreal terror and gothic mystery,” says Cullen Bunn. “Here we have a story that takes place not just in one world, not just in two, but in many. The hapless actors in Razide’s Lament find themselves cast from one nightmare to another, some trying desperately to find their way out, some hoping to understand the situation in which they’re trapped, and some simply surrendering their own sanity to the whims of this supernatural play and metaphysical theater. I’m excited for readers to experience this story because it’s going to surprise them, haunt them, and leave them thinking about it long after the final curtain falls. In a lot of ways, I feel like I didn’t just write about Razide here. It feels more like I’m unleashing him into the world.”

Supernatural horror meets gothic suspense when LAMENTATION #1 (of 3) seizes audiences everywhere on May 3, 2023 – on store shelves for Free Comic Book Day! Featuring covers by an all-star cast of revered talents – including Ringo Award nominee Maan House (Nightfall Double Feature), Eisner Award nominee Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing, Wonder Woman: Earth-Two), and acclaimed artist Kyle Hotz (Web of Venom, Immortal Hulk) – horror stakes its claim at Oni Press, only in LAMENTATION #1 (of 3)!

LAMENTATION #1 (of 3) 

Written by CULLEN BUNN

Art by ARJUNA SUSINI 

Colors by HILARY JENKINS

Cover A by MAAN HOUSE 

Cover B by YANICK PAQUETTE

Cover C by KYLE HOTZ 

Full Art Variant (1:10) by MAAN HOUSE

B&W Variant (1:15) by YANICK PAQUETTE

B&W Variant (1:20) by KYLE HOTZ

ON SALE MAY 3, 2023 | $6.99 | 48 pgs. | FULL COLOR