Now up for preorder, Mark O. Stack (The Scent of May Rain, Young Offenders!) and artist Helen Robinson (The Light Thief, Wayward Sisters) join forces for Madness; or, the Modern Dionysus. It’s the spiritual successor to their previous work The Scent of May Rain. This 64-page, the perfect-bound graphic novella will be released in print and digital simultaneously in January 2022.
“The response to May Rain last year was shocking to me. Some books end up being more for you as a creator than for an actual audience, so the enthusiastic reception from readers, outlets, and industry legends I’d grown up reading was completely unexpected,” said Stack. “That became the motivation for me to consider going out on an even further limb with this book to make something that engages with the questions of spirituality, personhood, and recovery that began to consume my mind upon entering lockdown in 2020.”
So what’s it about?
In an echo of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the rebirth of Dionysus from the shredded remains of Zagreus in the Orphic tradition, Zig finds himself called into being by members of a modern cult who have returned a cadaver to life in the hopes that the spirit manifesting within it will be the next coming of their patron deity.
But in the process of his becoming, Zig runs from the pain of his death and into Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, and enters the world as little more than a blank slate. With his most devoted worshipper at his side, Zig must go on a journey through America and into the Underworld to discover what it means to be the god of ritual madness in a world full of struggle.
If pain and suffering are unavoidable in life, maybe a little bit of madness is the key to survival?
Check out a preview of the book below.
Sign-up here for pre-order notification. For more on this upcoming series read the official press release below.
MORRISTOWN, NJ 06/21/2021—Writer Mark O. Stack (The Scent of May Rain, Young Offenders!) and artist Helen Robinson (The Light Thief, Wayward Sisters) are working together to create Madness; or, the Modern Dionysus. This graphic novella is a spiritual follow-up to 2020’s critically-acclaimed The Scent of May Rain in the literal sense as it tells the story of a Greek god who finds himself resurrected by worshippers in the modern day. This 64-page, perfect-bound graphic novella will be released in print and digital simultaneously in January 2022.
“The response to May Rain last year was shocking to me. Some books end up being more for you as a creator than for an actual audience, so the enthusiastic reception from readers, outlets, and industry legends I’d grown up reading was completely unexpected,” said Stack. “That became the motivation for me to consider going out on an even further limb with this book to make something that engages with the questions of spirituality, personhood, and recovery that began to consume my mind upon entering lockdown in 2020.”
“Greek mythology and its adaptations have fascinated me since I was a kid, so Madness was bound to draw me in,” said Robinson. “Seeing how Mark has recreated the character of Dionysus (with a wonderful touch of Frankenstein) has been really exciting, as has been bringing his story to life. Every page has had something different to explore as our Dionysus finds his way through the world. From resurrections to road trips and a bit of romance in between, it’s been a blast!”
In an echo of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the rebirth of Dionysus from the shredded remains of Zagreus in the Orphic tradition, Zig finds himself called into being by members of a modern cult who have returned a cadaver to life in the hopes that the spirit manifesting within it will be the next coming of their patron deity.
But in the process of his becoming, Zig runs from the pain of his death and into Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, and enters the world as little more than a blank slate. With his most devoted worshipper at his side, Zig must go on a journey through America and into the Underworld to discover what it means to be the god of ritual madness in a world full of struggle.
If pain and suffering are unavoidable in life, maybe a little bit of madness is the key to survival?
Madness; or, the Modern Dionysus will be available for pre-order in October 2021 and release on January 25, 2022. Sign-ups for pre-order notification can be found at: https://forms.gle/humE62Fv82J4HKfr7
Creator Credits
Art by Helen Robinson (they/them)
Script by Mark O. Stack (he/him)
Letters by Jodie Troutman (she/her)
Research and Editing by Rae Epstein (she/her)
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