Have you heard? SWC’s first horror heroine, the soul-stealing succubus, Lorelei, is making her much anticipated return in the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City. And what is she up to this time?
Uhhh…actually no, Lori, but now that you’ve caught everyone’s attention with that completely out-of-context remark (good job, BTW), allow me to explain…
For those of you new to The ’Warp, Lori made her comics debut in a 1989 minicomic that I wrote and drew before moving her up to the big leagues in the full-size comic Lorelei #0 (1993), with far better art by David C. Matthews (no, not the singer), and a cover by Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Codename Knockout). It began Lori’s origin, introducing readers to Laurel Ash, a controversial photographer who, through supernatural means, would eventually become the succubus Lorelei—a demoness hungry for souls. That story will be told in full starting next year, in the two-volume graphic novel Lorelei: Building the Perfect Beast.
In Lorelei: Sects and the City, what starts out as Lori interrupting an apparent mugging soon escalates into even bigger problems, when she learns that the “muggers” were actually members of a cult that’s attempting to resurrect its ancient gods. And now that Lori has stuck her nose in their business, the cult’s leader wants her to be their next sacrificial offering!
Written by me, this Mature Readers graphic novel features eye-popping art by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0, A Princess of Mars, Carmilla), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, The Black Forest), with bonus pinups by Louis Small Jr.
Add a cover painting by comics legend Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Satana the Devil’s Daughter), a one-page “Feary Tale” about succubi drawn by another legend, Ernie Colón (Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld), and a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton, and it’s almost like a Warren Publishing reunion!
If you’re a fan of old-school horror comics and good-girl art, classic Hammer Studios horror films, and H. P. Lovecraft, then this is definitely the graphic novel for you.
Lorelei: Sects and the City goes on sale in June.
