Where Black Stars Rise (Paperback)
Ignyte Award finalist for Best Comics Team!
"Where Black Stars Rise boldly pushes the limits of what a comic can do. ...It's a gorgeous work. I loved it." —Trung Le Nguyen, author of The Magic Fish
Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger's Where Black Stars Rise is an eldritch horror graphic novel that explores mental illness and diaspora, set in modern-day Brooklyn.
Dr. Amal Robardin, a Lebanese immigrant and a therapist in training, finds herself out of her depth when her first client, Yasmin, a schizophrenic, is visited by a nightly malevolent presence that seems all too real.
Yasmin becomes obsessed with Robert Chambers’ classic horror story collection The King in Yellow. Messages she finds in the book lead Yasmin to disappear, seeking answers she can’t find in therapy.
Amal attempts to retrace her patient’s last steps—and accidentally slips through dimensions, ending up in Carcosa, realm of the King in Yellow. Determined to find her way out, Amal enlists the help of a mysterious guide.
Can Amal save Yasmin? Or are they both trapped forever?
“Strange is the night where black stars rise, and strange moons circle through the skies. But stranger still is lost Carcosa...” —From The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
MARIE ENGER is a St. Louis-based creator who spends a lot of time listening to loud music in the dark and creating weird stuff. Along with reading Where Black Stars Rise, you can play their dark occult western TTRPG, Casket Land, read their bootleg-of-a-bootleg, Nosferatu!, or get in the eldritch zone with their super-sad comic, The Bones of This Place.
Named one of the Best Comics of 2022 by Den of Geek!
“Together, Shammas and Enger construct an incredible marriage of blisteringly vulnerable subject matter and art that expertly captures the enormous emotions at the heart of the story.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Impressive....Told in a visceral visual style .... features life in the diaspora, an inclusive retelling, and a strong, cosmic horror tale.” —Library Journal
"A nightmarish Eldritch horror that stuns and shocks at every turn. ... This is a rare cosmic horror story that feels contemporary and original... and the creative team craft a thoughtful and incisive story about mental health and diaspora." —Den of Geek
“Where Black Stars Rise boldly pushes the limits of what a comic can do. It renegotiates the fraught kind of love that BIPOC readers develop with seminal works of horror and science fiction, even while they do not love us back. It explores the otherworldly alienation of diasporic people trying to divide their hearts between two worlds. It’s a gorgeous work. I loved it.” —Trung Le Nguyen, author of The Magic Fish
“A lively reworking of The King in Yellow that flays away the prejudices of Robert W. Chambers and allows Shammas’ and Enger’s creation to open up to its fuller, more poignant potential.” —Brian Evenson, author of Song for the Unraveling of the World
“Simultaneously contemplative and frenetic, Where Black Stars Rise is a fantastic and spellbinding exploration of the necessity and perils of human connection.” —Tyler Crook, co-creator of Harrow County
“A visually arresting eldritch odyssey grounded in the intimate story of two women struggling to understand the darker facets of themselves. An affecting and melancholic delight to read.” —Sloane Leong, author of A Map of the Sun and Graveneye
“Shammas and Enger have combined their talents masterfully in Where Black Stars Rise. Before losing yourself in its pages, crack the door open ever so slightly.” —Jeffrey Alan Love, award-winning artist and author
“With Where Black Stars Rise, Shammas and Enger have taken the ruins of Carcosa and used them to craft something beautiful, scary, touching, and profoundly human. A must-read for any fan of horror, cosmic or otherwise.” —Matthew Lyons, author of A Black and Endless Sky
“Where Black Stars Rise is everything a cosmic horror story should be: a disorienting and compelling tale of unmasking and unreality. A triumphant performance of The King in Yellow. Encore!” —Jonathan Sims, author of Thirteen Storeys
“This beguiling, compassionate exploration of mental illness is a bold new interpretation of the eldritch demimonde. Shammas and Enger elevate the original text while testifying there’s still a lot more terrain left to explore in Carcosa.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Whisper Down the Lane and Ghost Eaters
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