Comics
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Director Michael Chaves Writing Horror Fantasy Comic ‘Corpse Knight’
The Conjuring: Last Rights director Michael Chaves is writing a dark fantasy horror comic titled Corpse Knight.
The first issue in the six-part limited series will be published on April 22 from Skybound and Image Comics.
Chaves — who also helmed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Nun II, and The Curse of La Llorona — teamed with artist Matthew Roberts (Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives) and colorist Rico Renzi (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) on the comic.
Set in war-torn France, the story follows a young girl named Foy whose quiet life shatters when tragedy strikes her family. Left alone in a brutal world, she’s granted what seems like a miracle — her father returns from the dead to protect her.
Together, they set out on a perilous journey across a countryside plagued by murderers, roaming armies, wild beasts, and dark magic. But as Foy begins to uncover the secrets behind her father’s resurrection, she’s forced to confront a terrifying possibility: has the man who returned to save her always been a monster?
Corpse Knight #1 will feature eight different variant covers:
- Cover A by Matthew Roberts & Rico Renzi
- Cover B by Jae Lee
- Cover C (1:10 Incentive) by Tonči Zonjić
- Cover D (1:25 Incentive) by Nimit Malavia
- Cover E (1:50 Incentive) by Andrea Milana
- Cover F (1:100 Foil Incentive) by Stephanie Hans
- Cover G (Die-Cut Helmet) by Matthew Roberts
- Cover H Blank Sketch
“Corpse Knight was born out of my love of dark fantasy, but it quickly became something more. It’s a story of parenthood and mortality, told through heroes, monsters, and all the shades in between,” said Chaves. “I’ve been a fan of Matthew Roberts since Manifest Destiny, and I truly believe this is some of his finest work. His art is beautiful, tactile, and, when it needs to be, amazingly gruesome. Alongside Rico Renzi’s awesome color work, it’s everything you want from this kind of book.”
“Corpse Knight is a blast,” added Roberts. “Michael’s script has allowed me to play in a way I’ve not in the past, taking big swings but always feeling grounded by the family bond at the center. That bond is where I find the light, and it makes all the gruesome stuff even more fun to play with. Having Rico on board is the icing on the cake. I can’t imagine anyone else making the choices he makes with colors. I can’t wait for everyone to see what this team is putting together.”
“I love Micheal’s story and Matthew’s art has struck the perfect balance between beautiful and disgusting,” commented Renzi. “Coloring this book is a delight!”
“Horror masters Michael Chaves and Matthew Roberts have delivered a beautifully tragic story about the lengths a parent will go to protect their child,” praised Skybound Editorial Director Alex Antone. “Fans of King Spawn and The Darkness will eat this right up.”
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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