Dark Horse Books presents Loving, Ohio, a coming-of-age graphic novel written by Matthew Erman (Good Luck, Witchblood, Long Lost) and illustrated by Sam Beck (Verse, Renegade Rule).
After the mysterious suicide of their friend, Sloane, Elliott, Cameron, and Ana are just trying to get through the rest of high school in Loving, Ohio–a town built around The Chorus, a new-age cult that has infiltrated every structure of Loving.
As the group of friends deals with their grief, a series of murders throws them into a mystery connected to everything around them. Sloane and her friends have to escape a roaming murderer, figure out their place in the world, and deal with loss, all in the looming shadow of The Chorus. But through it all, they will find the cost of friendship and the adulthood they seek.
“Loving, Ohio is the best piece of fiction I’ve written so far in my life,” said Erman. “I grew up in a cult, as many people do and Loving, Ohio says everything I want to say on the matter. I am immensely proud of it and so grateful for Sam and the gorgeous book she created with me. I can’t wait for you to read this because I think you all are going to be wowed by what we’ve made. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Loving, Ohio is recommended for fans of Courtney Summer’s The Project and Daria Polatin’s Devil in Ohio and is already getting advanced praise:
“Loving, Ohio creates a haunting, gorgeous seam in reality and opens it wide to reveal a story that feels all too real. This book is a best-of-the-year with a bullet.”—Sarah Gailey (Just Like Home, Eat the Rich, Know Your Station)
“A gorgeous small-town nightmare where teenage grief walks hand-in-hand with cosmic horror, and the only way forward is to. Get out, get out of this town. By any means necessary.”—Trevor Henderson (Scarewaves, creator of Siren Head)
“A coming-of-age story that blurs the line between reality and the supernatural. Erman and Beck pit a group of teens against the nightmare of pseudo religious jargon, a knife wielding arsonist, and growing up. Hertfelt and unsettling. One of the best books of 2024.”—Mark Bouchard (It Took Luke)
Praise for Matthew Erman and Sam Beck:
“There is simply nothing like Good Luck. It has a truly original premise, an irresistibly endearing protagonist, and satisfying surprises at every corner. An absolute delight.”– The Brazen Bull
“Long Lost #1 is a tale spun from subtlety that gives life to the uneasiness you feel when you’re home alone. If the following installments are half as good, Long Lost will serve as a reference text for students of unrest for years to come.”–Comicsverse, Mark Bouchard (It Took Luke, Leaf Peepers)
“Verse‘s rich drawings and colours beautifully illustrate a complicated, engaging fantasy world filled with sympathetic characters. I can’t wait to learn more about them as their journey continues!”–Faith Erin Hicks (Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy, Avatar: The Last Airbender)
“Verse is the sort of book you spend hours poring over, even after the first read. Every single page is a visual delight–I lingered on every panel and relished every page-turn. Sam expertly crafts a sprawling world full of gripping characters and thrilling stakes that transported me to another dimension–it’s the kind of book I would have devoured as a teenager, and certainly still love now.”–Hannah Templer (Cosmoknights)
Loving, Ohio TPB, 216 pages, will be released in bookstores on August 6, 2024 and in comic shops on August 7, 2024. It is now available to pre-order for $19.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, local comic shops, and indie bookstores.