Hey, Want to See Some of Anne Rice’s New Comic for IDW?

That crying man you see is Azriel, the title character in Anne Rice‘s new horror comic for IDW, Servant of the Bones, which is an adaptation of her novel of the same name. He is sad because a girl was murdered, but also because he finds out about an even bigger plot setting up the end of the world. (“Valentine’s Day. Bummer.”) A few pics from the preview after the jump.

First, the synopsis from IDW by way of io9, which got its hands on some preview pages:

Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones #1 (of 6)
Anne Rice & Mariah Huehner (w) • Renae DeLiz & Ray Dillon (a) • DeLiz (c)
Anne Rice, among the most iconic creators in horror, brings one of her richest stories to IDW in this six-part tale of murder, demonic revenge, and the redemptive power of faith. When a beautiful young woman is brutally slain in the streets of New York City, the demon Azriel sets out to discover who killed her, only to find a far more sinister plot that could end the world. Once a human in ancient Babylon, Azriel is a spirit of rage and terror that gradually rediscovers his humanity through holy vengeance and spiritual love. Ornately illustrated by the New York Times Best-selling team of Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

So, that’s what it’s all about. The novel, published in 1996, describes Azriel as a young man who was killed in the year 539 B.C. and became an immortal genie, but now a Master rules over his mortal bones, which are encased in gold. He wakes up in present-day New York City and witnesses the murder of a young woman named Esther Belkin. He then becomes obsessed with avenging her death because he wasn’t able to prevent it. It turns out that her stepfather ordered her murder to fulfill his dream to become some kind of messiah in a cult. Meanwhile, Azriel needs someone to write his story down, so he seeks out a history professor, Jonathan Ben Isaac, the Scribe.

This guy:

Who then leaves:

Comes down with a mysterious fever:

And meets this guy:

And then they have amazing, spectacular sex. No! I kid. That would be fanfiction. And that would get me in a lot of trouble with Anne Rice.

The first issue of Servant of the Bones comes out this Wednesday, August 24. But you can view the full pages that feature these excerpts at io9.

(io9)