(W & A) Various
The Devil’s Cut is the first offering from DSTLRY, a new publisher that has the potential to take the comic book world by storm. Completely independent of the Big 2 or any existing publishers, it has attracted some of the biggest names in comics, and installed them as founders of the label. They will have complete ownership and control over their creations, and complete freedom to tell the stories they want to tell. That founding creators line up? Think Scott Snyder, Jock, Ram V, James Tynion IV, Tula Lotay, Mirka Andolfo, Brian Azzarello, Christian Ward, Becky Cloonan and so many more. You can see why we as both a store, and as comic fans in general, are excited about DSTLRY.
With The Devil’s Cut, we have an anthology of 11 different stories from these creators, some being set up for their mainline titles that are coming soon, some being a one and done, but all existing as short stories showing off their level of craft and skill. All wrapped up in one delightfully silly sized square bound comic book.
Anthologies can sometimes be a tough sell, as they are usually higher priced (as is the case here) and can be a bit scattershot in terms of storytelling quality. There are usually fantastic stories in anthologies but they can often be balanced out by completely forgettable ones. I have to say that is not really the case The Devil’s Cut, as each and every story had me engaged, and curious as to where they will go next.
It’s perhaps no surprise that my favourite one was Scott Snyder scripted and drawn by Francesco Francavilla (a quick shoutout for the recent Night of the Ghoul, collected in trade paperback by Dark Horse comics, as an example of just how great a team these two make when approaching horror.) They weave a great tale on an ever-evolving boat, that shows no signs of escape.
We also have Stowaway, written and drawn by store favourite Jock, which is a prequel of sorts to the upcoming first full release from DSTRLY, the simply titled ‘Gone’. There is a great deal of tension and world building delivered in this short story that has me even more excited for the full #1 when it drops on October 25th.
And a final standout is ‘Waiting to Die’, from the team of Ram V and Lee Garbett. With the end of the world simply a matter of time (though no-one knows exactly how long, but only that it is inescapable and could be at any moment), what would you do in your final moments. Who would you want to spend those moments with, and what would they be spent doing? Very though-provoking, emotional and brilliantly executed.
The Devil’s Cut is the kind of storytelling that I can’t wait to enjoy more of. They will be fully creator driven, by some of our favourite ever writers and artists, and they will have the freedom to do whatever they want. There are different genres tackled in each of the eleven stories presented here and there really is something for everyone. The larger format for the book means the art can be as experimental and rich as the artists want, having that bigger canvas to paint on.
We have a couple of copies left in store, only because I ordered big on it as I think this is the start of something special. They have already stated that this will be a single print run, not to be collected in any other format again, so don’t miss out. 2024 really does have the potential to be the year of DSTLRY.
