Crownsville is a brand new miniseries from award-winning publisher Oni Press. This stern, intrusive, supernatural thriller, debuting in November with the first issue of double size, comes from writer Rodney Burns (Killadelphia) and promising artist Elia Bonetti (Death of Wolverine: Logan Legacy).
The five-part series explores the terrifying modern mysteries rooted in the hospital’s tragic past. The real hospital was closed in 2004 after decades of controversy and devastation, but Burns worked with Bonetti to create an unforgettable ghost story in the abandoned and unforgettable ghost stories of tragic beings. The first issue will feature variant covers on November 5th, 2025 by Burns’ Kiradelphia co-creator Jason Shawn Alexander, interior artists Elia Bonetti (Darth Vader), Sis Monk Dolanski (Punisher), and Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls).
Art by Jason Sean Alexander
Sierra Hahn of ONI Press Editor-in-Chief said this about the book.
ONI Press is known for publishing hair-raising horror comics and provocative stories from a powerful, personal, political perspective. Crownsville is an incredible storytelling with an award-winning book. Rodney’s words and the unforgettable art of the area combine to tell a story with relentless riveting rivets. It’s just as important as it’s scary.
Founded at the turn of the century outside Annapolis, Maryland, Crownsville Hospital was an infamous, isolated, totally black psychiatric lab. After decades of overcrowding and neglect, it was eventually shut down in 2004 along with dark and persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments. Today, it is a rebuke, an unforgettable reflection of the country’s past, and a reminder of the far-realistic fear given to marginalized and vulnerable communities. In the new series by Burns and Bonetti, an unexplained death in an abandoned hospital is committed suicide, with Annapolis police detective Mike Sims and journalist Paul Blaireaa digging deeper.
Author Rodney Burns said this about the series:
Crownsville is a supernatural mystery story I wanted to tell. From my childhood haunting born in a place of pain, it was my cathartic effort and I am grateful for sharing it with the world. I can’t wait for people to see it.
Rodney Burns is located in front of Crownsville Hospital Center.
Meanwhile, Hunter Golinson, ONI press president and publisher, said this.
The best kind of horror stories challenge us not only to stand up to ghosts and monsters, but also to tackle the pain and fear that each other has inflicted on us. If that pain lasts only instantaneously, or as with Crownsville, it can last for decades. Together, Rodney and Elia focused on a brilliantly, deeply rendered narrative that could confront the tortured past that induces the horror of white knuckles in a spiral and underpinned the shocking and too-true chapters of modern American history. ”
Crownsville is now available for pre-orders from local comic shops. Below is a preview of the series.
Area Bonetti Art Art Area Bonetti Art Area Bonetti Art by Elia Bonnetti
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