Inspired by the real-life horrors of a notorious Maryland psychiatric hospital that preyed upon Black communities for decades, Crowsville #1 kicks off a five-part comic series on November 5 from Oni Press.
Written by Rodney Barnes (“The Boondocks,” Killadelphia) and illustrated by Elia Bonetti (Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy), we have an exclusive look inside the first issue below.
Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, Maryland, the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect — alongside darker, more-persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments — it was finally closed.
Today, it stands condemned—a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community. But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow…
When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horrors that once took place there… and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls.
The 48-page first issue of Crownsville features covers by Bonetti, Barnes’ Killadelphia co-creator Jason Shawn Alexander (Spawn), Syzmon Kudranski (The Punisher), and Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls).
Cover A by Jason Shawn Alexander
Cover B by Elia Bonetti
Cover C by Szymon Kudrański
Variant Cover (1:20) By Andrea Sorrentino
The post Supernatural Horror Meets True Crime in Rodney Barnes’ ‘Crownsville’ Comic [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
