Spirit of the Shadows Is One of the Most Stylish Horror Comics In Years

Pink Lemonade creator Nick Cagnetti is backmost with a caller fearfulness comic called Spirit of the Shadows, and it's easy 1 of the astir visually stunning fearfulness comics we've seen successful a agelong time. This is decidedly a bid to ticker for successful 2026.

IGN tin exclusively debut a caller extended preview of Spirit of the Shadows #1. Check it retired successful the slideshow assemblage below:

Spirit of the Shadows is written by Cagnetti and Daniel Ziegler (Elodie), with creation by Cagnetti. The archetypal contented features covers by Cagnetti, David Lafuente, Karl Kerschl, and Matt Lesniewski. This constricted bid is published by Oni Press. Here's the authoritative logline for Spirit of the Shadows:

Once, Erik Leroux was a mortal musician, selflessly devoted to his euphony and his existent love, Katrina . . . until his abrupt decease plunged his psyche into the carnival-like torments of the Spirit World beyond our own. Now, reborn arsenic a phantom with fleeting memories of his beingness among the living, and everlastingly cursed to carnivore the arcane costume his corpse wore to the grave, Erik volition claw his mode backmost from the infernal planes to uncover the mysteries of his ain beingness . . . and avenge the acheronian sins that transformed him into the SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS!

“I warrant you're not going to find different comic connected the stands close present rather similar this one—from the communicative to the art, my person Daniel and I truly tried to make thing cohesive and evocative successful the mode that lone this mean tin provide,” said Cagnetti successful a statement. “To execute that, I enactment a batch of attraction into differentiating styles and techniques for each of the settings the communicative goes to marque them each consciousness distinct. You're swept up successful this dreamlike haze alongside the main character, and you spell done each the emotions and revelations alongside him. The extremity effect should truly marque for a rewarding acquisition you tin reread and look astatine wholly otherwise the adjacent time, but I'm envious for readers to acquisition that thrust for the archetypal clip present soon!”

“Introducing an wholly caller satellite tin beryllium 1 of the astir daunting tasks arsenic a writer, truthful what amended mode to immerse the scholar than to instantly spot them successful the shoes of the protagonist?” added Ziegler. “As Erik pieces unneurotic the forgotten fragments of his life, readers volition besides embark connected that aforesaid travel of find and revelation, and whitethorn find themselves facing much than 1 motivation quandary successful the process. This extended preview gives you a sensation of the assorted worlds and varying styles that Nick and I usage passim the bid to archer this wholly unsocial parallel communicative of love, loss, and revenge that we couldn’t beryllium much arrogant of.”

Spirit of the Shadows #1 volition beryllium released connected January 28, 2026, with a last bid cutoff of January 5. You tin preorder a transcript astatine your section comic shop.

In different comic publication news, spot however caller Iron Man writer Joshua Williamson is reinventing Tony Stark, and cheque retired an exclusive preview of Star Trek: The Last Starship #3.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.