Queens of the Crypt Vol 1

Oh My Crypt!

Bolton based freelance author of Free To Be Me and Queer Power, global brand illustrator, official artist for Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK [Seasons 1-5], and Narnia fan, Dominic Evans has created an astonishing creative cornucopia for their first graphic novel. Celebrating queer identity, found family, classic horror movies and iconic characters like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Phantom of the Opera, whilst also exploring serious topics like mental health and self-discovery, Queens of the Crypt is an eye-popping monochrome feast for fans of cos play, drag and gothic fiction.

Featuring a non-binary protagonist called Barnaby Jones who discovers a world of emotion in their closet when they come out to their parents, this otherworldly graphic novel invites the reader into the fantastical town of Widow’s Creek stalked by the Faceless Frightener who is kidnapping conflicted teens for nefarious purposes.

With bewitching visuals from the crypt shaped cover to the map, gothic vignettes of turrets, knocking hands, hypnotic eyes and cobweb-ridden staircases, Queens of the Crypt vibrates with a 1950’s comic book style as the Queens awaken to assist Barnaby in fighting their fears. Materialising from the pages of gothic novels and 1940’s detective noire, emerging from the swamps of 1950’s B Movies, lighting the way with operatic flourish and surfacing from nightmares, The Countess, The Phantom, Lady Invisible, The Creature and the Bogeywoman assemble dazzling the reader with cryptastique action scenes of drama, peril and screaming faces.

Dom and Ink’s stunning visuals make it impossible to look away as the plot pelts at a crazy pace and superhero librarian Miss Kwan joins the battle against the forces of darkness. Queens of the Crypt is an extraordinary melange of cinematic influences dripping with atmosphere. With creepy lettering by Lor Prescott, it will appeal to fans of web comic author EM Carroll and teens searching for self-expression, nuanced queer representation and novels celebrating divas and misfits. Ending on a chapter entitled It Came From The Library promising another plot twist, a sequel is imminent.