Oni Press presents the first of an intense four-issue ghost story from acclaimed author Michael W. Conrad (Wonder Woman, Double Walker) and 2024 Apple Award-winning artist and music expert Dave. We announced our latest graphic novel in the issue of PLAGUE HOUSE #1. Chisholm (Miles Davis and the Exploration of Sound) will be in comic shops nationwide in April 2025. In it, an eclectic trio of ghost hunters, Jacob the holy man, Holland the skeptic, and Dell the leader of the believers, explore. In a haunted place, you hope to prove the existence of the undead and exorcise malevolent spirits.
“When I was a kid, I saw a ghost floating in my parents’ living room,” says author Michael W. Conrad. “I wasn’t dreaming. The man trembled in the corner, staring at me, silently pleading for help. The Pesthouse answered the call, and the place was haunted by ghosts, imprinted memories, and the living. It aims to discover the true nature of the demands it imposes.”
Pest House #1 | Interior Art by Dave Chisholm Pest House #1 | Interior Art by Dave Chisholm Pest House #1 | Interior Art by Dave Chisholm
PLAGUE HOUSE #1 begins with the trio feeling the deep pain left behind after four extremely gruesome murders at McCabe House. While Orrin McCabe sits in prison, Del learns from the ghosts of his family what it takes to cleanse the house of restless spirits…
“I’ve been a fan of Dave (Chisholm)’s art for a long time,” Conrad said. “It was so much fun to take him into this corrupt place and watch him live in darkness. I hope he makes a safe recovery and I hope you, the reader, know that this book is written by the author. I hope you understand the risks it presents to those of us who are, and those who dare to enter the pages of this book.”
What’s great about this comic is that it’s the first work by Chisholm, who won a 2024 Apple Award for his graphic novel Miles Davis and the Exploration of Sound, that doesn’t involve some sort of comic portrayal. A musical work of art. PLAGUE HOUSE is Chris Holm’s first attempt at a ghost story, known for his beautifully drawn images that combine synaesthetic music and color.
“With The Plague House, Michael subverted the haunted house metaphor in such a clever and chilling way that I immediately knew I wanted to work on the visuals for the book,” said Chisholm. . “I do this by drawing, coloring, and lettering, and it creates a comic-centric, structural or formal style that appears in the music-based work that has become my calling card. Music and horror are very similar, aren’t they? Like music, timing is everything when it comes to telling a scary story properly. But the weirdest thing is putting these pages together. It can be very time-consuming, and it can make you feel really isolated and your mind wandering and you get into a sort of meditative state, and when you come out of that state, things around the studio start moving. I’ve noticed things being left behind and strange objects appearing on my bookshelves and desks. I’m starting to think there’s more to Michael’s script than meets the eye…”
Oni Press is on a roll, and PLAGUE HOUSE is the second of five genre-clashing projects to be announced in the coming months.
TOP SECRET TOP SECRET by TOP SECRET & TOP SECRET | February 2025 TOP SECRET by TOP SECRET & TOP SECRET | March 2025 All Free #1 by Patrick Horvath | March 2025 PLAGUE HOUSE #1 by Michael W. Conrad & Dave Chisholm | April 2025 TOP SECRET by TOP SECRET & TOP SECRET | May 2025
Pest House #1 (of 4)
Written by Michael W. Conrad
Art and cover: Dave Chisholm
Released in April 2025 | $4.99 | 32PGS | FC
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