PLAGUE HOUSE #1 is Michael W. Conrad & Dave Chisholm’s haunting new Ghost Story

cnnradionews staff November 1, 2024

5 3 minutes read

Oni Press has announced their latest graphic novel in PLAGUE HOUSE #1, the first issue of a tense four-issue ghost story from acclaimed writer Michael W. Conrad (Wonder Woman, Double Walker) and 2024 Ringo Award-winning artist and musical savant Dave Chisholm (Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound), coming to comic shops everywhere in April 2025. In it, a trio of eclectic ghost hunters – Jacob, the holy man, Holland, the skeptic, and leader Del, the believer – explore haunted locales, hoping to prove the existence of the undead and exorcize malicious spirits.

“I swear I saw a ghost as a child, floating in the living room of my family home,” says writer Michael W. Conrad. “I wasn’t dreaming. The man bobbed in the corner staring at me, wordlessly pleading for help. Plague House is about answering that call, and discovering the true nature of hauntings, imprinted memories, and the demands places can make of the living.”

PLAGUE HOUSE #1 | INTERIOR ART BY DAVE CHISHOLM

In PLAGUE HOUSE #1, the story kicks off when the trio senses deep pain left in the wake of a crime, a quite grisly quadruple homicide at the McCabe House. As Orin McCabe sits in prison, Del learns from his family’s ghosts what it will require to cleanse the home of their restless spirits…

“I’ve been a fan of Dave [Chisholm]’s art for a very long time,” said Conrad. “It’s been a delight to bring him into this corrupted place, and watch him dwell in the darkness. I hope he comes out of it okay, and I hope the readers understand the dangers this book presents to us as the creators, as well as to those bold enough to join us in its pages.”

What’s nifty about this comic is that this will be the first work we’re seeing out of Chisholm, the 2024 Ringo Award for his graphic novel Miles Davis and the Search for Sound, that isn’t involved in a type of comic book depiction of musical artwork. Known for his beautifully drawn imagery that blends synesthetic music and colors, Chrisholm will be trying his first ever ghost story in PLAGUE HOUSE.

“With Plague House, Michael flips the haunted house trope on its head in a really clever, chilling way that immediately got me hyped to tackle the visuals for this book,” said Chisholm. “I’m drawing, coloring, and lettering this thing, and that allows me to dig into some of those comic-centric structural or formal ideas that show up in the music-based work that has become my calling card. Music and horror…they’re really similar, right? Just like in music, properly telling a horrific story is all about timing! The weirdest thing is, though – you know, putting these pages together takes a lot of time. It can really isolate a person, and your mind can wander and drift, sort of putting you into a meditative state. And then, when I come out of that state, I’ve noticed things around my studio have moved, have been misplaced, or strange objects just show up on a bookshelf or a desk. I’m starting to think that there’s more to Michael’s script than meets the eye…”

Oni Press has been a roll with PLAGUE HOUSE being the second of five genre-colliding projects revealed int he months ahead.