Celebrated television writer Sabir Pirzada (Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel; Lucasfilms’ Star Wars: The Bad Batch), who just released his first-ever creator-owned graphic novel Dandelion, is teaming up with Eisner Award-winning artist Michael Walsh (The Silver Coin, Universal Monsters: Frankenstein) and fan-favorite letterer Becca Carey (Radiant Black) to craft the horror one-shot comic The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned, hitting shelves in October. It is the second comic in the The Horizon Experiment series of five one-shots, all featuring original protagonists from marginalized backgrounds set in a popular genre and inspired by pop culture icons, led by Eisner and Harvey Award-winning The Good Asian and Infidel creator Pornsak Pichetshote.
Co-edited by Pichetshote and acclaimed editor Will Dennis (Descender, Gideon Falls), The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned introduces the world to Inayah Jibril, Professor of Ethnography and the Occult—a “Muslim John Constantine” demon-hunting female exorcist. Arriving just in time for Halloween season, the comic is a love letter to classic horror stories, from Dracula to The Exorcist, reimagining horror tropes through an Islamic lens. Like the other titles in The Horizon Experiment, this one-shot serves as the equivalent of a pilot for a creator-owned series, with the potential of continuing should there be demand for more. Along with an original cover by Walsh, the issue also features variant covers by Eisner Award-winning artist Tula Lotay, part of a connecting series across all five of the one-shots.
“I took sadistic pleasure in delving into the stuff of Muslim nightmares for The Sacred Damned. People think of Islamic culture as a monolith, but the opposite couldn’t be more true: it’s varied, rich, and rarely given the spotlight in western narratives despite representing a massive global population,” said Pirzada. “When Pornsak challenged me to take us to new places in horror where no one has ever gone before, I knew that could only be accomplished with Michael Walsh, the greatest horror artist of our generation. It was a distinct thrill to have industry titan editors Will Dennis and Pornsak Pichetshote along for the ride as we introduce the world to a bold new antihero in Inayah Jibril.”
“When the incredible Pornsak Pichetshote first approached me about contributing to The Horizon Experiment, I was immediately interested…Reading Sabir’s pitch for The Sacred Damned sealed the deal. It really felt like an entirely fresh new take on a type of horror story that I love: the modern examination of classic folklore, mythology and religion through the lens of the Horror genre,” said Walsh. “When I received the script, I was thrilled—not only was this going to be a blast to draw, but there was an authenticity, economy and understanding of the medium that cemented this as something that would be really special and really terrifying. Working with this whole team, Will, Pornsak, Sabir, Toni Marie, and the excellent letterer and designer Becca Carey, has been an absolute joy and has resulted in a book that I am truly proud of.”
“There’s no formal way to break into comics, so many creators like Sabir get swept up into other mediums in the process of trying. But even in that intensely competitive environment, Sabir came out a star—writing for Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, as well as other cool, envious gigs. Yet he was still dying to do comics. That’s how I knew he is exactly the kind of writer that the comic industry needs,” said Pichetshote.
Continued Pichetshote: “The idea of The Sacred Damned—a horror series following a Muslim exorcist—was one of those stunningly obvious concepts you’re astonished no one’s ever done. Looking at exorcism stories outside of the Christian tradition blows the doors off a genre you thought you knew—which is exactly what The Horizon Experiment series is all about. Sabir wanted an artist who could really handle horror, so we swung for the fences and secured the best horror cartoonist currently working, Eisner Award-winning Michael Walsh.”
The Horizon Experiment series kicks off on September 25 with The Manchurian, written by Pichetshote, illustrated by superstar artists Terry and Rachel Dodson (Adventureman, Harley Quinn), and edited by Dennis. The Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian is a scintillating thriller full of secrets and scandal, featuring a Chinese super spy inspired by James Bond. Future issues include East African werewolf horror The Horizon Experiment: Moon Dogs (by Tananarive Due and Kelsey Ramsey), “Evil Dead for blerds” horror-comedy The Horizon Experiment: Motherf#cking Monsters (by J. Holtham and Michael Lee Harris), and “reverse Indiana Jones” action-adventure The Horizon Experiment: Finders / Keepers (by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge). The five issues will be released on a monthly basis.
The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, October 23:
- Cover A by Michael Walsh – Lunar Code 0824IM324
- Cover B by Tula Lotay (connecting) – Lunar Code 0824IM325
- Cover C by Tula Lotay (1:25 foil incentive, connecting) – Lunar Code 0824IM326
The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
