Ram V, Joëlle Jones Team on Gothic Thriller in NYC

Through Red Windows introduces an ambitious financier who gets invited to join a wealthy, powerful group, only to learn that it comes at a terrible price. Ram V (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr) and Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer) are collaborating on the modern gothic thriller, which is published by DSTLRY.

Harlan Roderick, a wealthy man in declining health, invites his protégé Athul Laal to live at Roderick Place, where Athul believes he is being groomed to join a circle of the world’s elite. The dream becomes a nightmare when Athul learns that Harlan and his illness are tied to the 73-story high-rise and that behind each door are secrets and monsters from their lives.

“Through Red Windows looks at old and obscene wealth as Eldritch Horror and bears witness to the terrifying and absurd lengths its apostles will go to, in its worship,” Ram V said. “It is the nature of accumulated wealth and also of late-stage capitalism to be entirely preoccupied with their own perpetuation. Beyond some sort of critical mass, I imagine, this self-perpetuation takes on a mind and existence of its own. Like some monstrous thing whose unfathomable lifetime is spent forcing humanity to exploit itself – sacrifice itself, in its name. Within this premise, I want to tell a story of choices, made in a world that indoctrinates its working youth to value profit and wealth perpetuation beyond all else. Will we end up on some cosmic balance sheet? Or will we be saved by foolish things like love and relationships and guilt and hope?”

“Merging the messy visual tradition of horror with the austere, right-angle brutalist look of modern business has been an amazing challenge, and Through Red Windows is by far the most disturbing story I’ve ever illustrated,” Jones said. “Ram and I are cultivating a new nightmare that I’ve deeply enjoyed channeling on the page.” 

“Ram and Joëlle are two of the most restless voices in comics, and their take on horror has to be seen to be believed. Each issue ushers a new degree of shock and intrigue, pulling the reader deeper into this sinister skyscraper,” DSTLRY co-founders Chip Mosher and David Steinberger said in a joint statement.  

Through Red Windows is packaged in DSTLRY’s perfect-bound prestige format with wraparound covers. The 48-page first issue will debut in the fall of 2024.