Powerhouse writer/artist Jamie McKelvie returns to the world of creator-owned comics with his first solo story in over a decade:One For Sorrow, which arrives November 6th, 2024 fromDSTLRY. The hot-new-thing publisher has been on a roll with über-original genre comics, andOne For Sorrowis no exception.
The year is 1900, and the place is London - both the West End and the East End, as the first issue makes a point of noting.One For Sorrowfollows a large cast of characters throughout the cityas they navigate supernatural cons, organized crime, and a nagging mystery oneSherlock Holmes-like characterjust can’t let go. Lurking behind these daily dramas is the mysterious Magpie killer, an eerie figure wearing a plague mask, who seems both unkillable and unstoppable.
November 6th, 2024
September 30th, 2024
Variant Covers:
Jamie McKelvie, Annie Wu, Tula Lotay, Becky Cloonan, Junko Mizuno
One For Sorrowis very much the supernatural mystery it’s billed to be,filled with horror, violence, and strange happenings. But beyond the period-drama horror, which of course poses the standard question for a tale like this - who is the mysterious killer? - is another set of questions hidden beneath McKelvie’s architecture, both narrative and visual: when and how will these characters get paid? And who will do the paying?
One For SorrowEmbraces Slow Burn Victorian Horror
Exclusive Preview Pages forOne For Sorrow#1 - Plus Variant Covers by Annie Wu & Tula Lotay
In the spirit ofBecky Cloonan and Tula Lotay’sSomnabefore it, McKelvie’sOne For Sorrowmines its chosen era for period-based horror to great success, even beyond the unique visual quirks of period stories. The comic embraces suspense over cultish, nightmarish visuals or page-turn jump scares.Sorrow’s horror elements are not only “successful” - basic and essentially expected praise for a creator as experienced as this - but surprising, often turning the reader’s expectations so totally around so that it feels, in the most gasping-ly delightful way, that one is reading a totally different story by the issue’s end.
The mystery is as rich as the web is unbelievably tangled.
Suspense, as a genre, should make the reader feel like they’re teetering on the edge of understanding;One For Sorrowtip-toes down the length of that line until the last possible moment with apacing that rewards patient readers, those who are willing to wait for a mystery to unfold. And with a character web as intricate as this - a Russian widow and her con-man partner, an upper-crust banking family, a barmaid, a mob boss with a thief’s sense of honor, a world-famous detective, and more in between - the mystery is as rich as the web is unbelievably tangled.
What Is Suspense TaleOne For SorrowReally About?
Exclusive Preview Pages - Plus Variant Covers by Becky Cloonan & Junko Mizuno
Beneath the horror and suspense, however,One For Sorrowand its characters have one central obsession: payment. Money and class, while not obvious elements on the surface of the story, are the pillars that support its entire structure, down to its setting. That McKelvie denotes specific areas in London - the East End traditionally being a more working class area than the luxurious West End - is a subtle signpost of class and power: in a cast like this, despite any and all cons and deceptions at play,where one is frommatters deeply in terms of character motivation and desire.
All of these characters, from the banker to the barmaid, want what they feel they are owed. Payment, of course, comes in many forms, from wages to service fees to revenge:“you’ll pay for what you’ve done"and all its many classic iterations.
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But in setting this supernatural suspense story in turn-of-the-century London - inshaping a period piece, in other words - McKelvie doesn’t dodge thematic nuances that hold relevance to today’s readers. Actually, there’s little that’s more relevant to contemporary readers than class consciousness, andthe unfamiliarity of the period elements allows those themes to shine through, uncannily familiar without the risk of ham-fistedness. The best reason to set a story in the past, after all, is to tell some essential truth about the present.
Jamie McKelvie Reaches New Artistic Heights inOne For Sorrow
Variant Cover by Jamie McKelvie
Beyond those meaningful truths,One For Sorrowis very simply a good-looking book and a triumph for McKelvie as an artist.The design for the Magpie killer alone is unforgettable: the long-nosed plague mask beneath the dark hood. But the other everyday characters and settings are just as sumptuous, calling to mind the word “costuming” even more than “design.”
Thanks to McKelvie’s expressive style - in the same class as Kevin Maguire in terms of facial expression and character acting, surely -these characters are so lively, they could walk off the pageand dress themselves. Each design detailin the historical worldofOne For Sorrow, from hairstyle to neckline to every architectural nook and cranny, feels intentional and researched, making for a genuinely rich visual experience.
Looking for more from Jamie McKelvie? Try his collaborations with writer Kieron Gillen:Young Avengersfrom Marvel Comics andThe Wicked + The Divinefrom Image Comics, both available now in collected editions from the publishers.
Fans have waited quite a while for a new series from McKelvie, butOne For Sorrowis worth the wait. The book, of course, is perfect for long-time fans of the creator, and those fans won’t be disappointed. But, like all ofDSTLRY’stitles so far,One For Sorrowis a self-contained and art-driven miniseries ready to be enjoyed by any fan of well-made genre fiction. With twists even the most careful reader won’t see coming,One For Sorrowproves thatnowis always the time for a bit of period-drama horror.
One For Sorrow#1is available November 6th, 2024 from DSTLRY.
DSTLRY
DSTLRY is a comic and collectibles publisher founded in 2023. Formed by former comiXology heads, DSTLRY is known for some more famous works such as “Gone” and “Spectregraph” and continues to expand to include a wide variety of genres and artists.
