Crownsville #4 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

People do a lot of things in service to a cause, or the people under their care. But Mike Simms knows the score. When protecting the people you care about involves hurting others, that creates trauma that never goes away.

The Homicide Detective still wants to protect the people in his community. Yet he's sickened by the bodies caused by violent crime and drug abuse. Will what he learns at the shuttered Crownsville help him to serve the public better? Or, like so many others, will Mike end up as another casualty of the haunted institution?

Here's all the info from Oni Press: 

CROWNSVILLE #4 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY RODNEY BARNES ART BY ELIA BONETTI COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER From master storyteller Rodney Barnes (Batman: Full Moon, Killadelphia) and otherworldly artist collaborator Elia Bonetti (Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy), this long-buried tale of suspense and sorrow based on true events from an infamous asylum with a tortured past is about to come raging back to life . . . Staring deeply into the mouth of madness, Detective Mike Simms must confront his family's secret past to unlock the dreadful secrets which lie buried in the long-condemned halls of the abandoned Crownsville mental institution. The spirits of the past demand retribution for the sins visited upon them in their waking life, and only the souls of the living can offer peace to the torment of the damned . . . and they don't care how they get it! Can Mike and his partner unlock the secret to freeing these tormented spirits or will the halls of Crownsville once again run red with the blood of the innocent? $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE FEBRUARY 11, 2026

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

 

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this cover preview with us. 

Crownsville #5 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

 

Journalist Paul Blair is determined to uncover the evil that the doctors at Crownsville forced his mother to do. Homicide Detective Mike Simms can't do anything about the people dying from drug addiction or the kids killing each other in his community. But he can stand by his friend as Paul braves the haunted institution that forced a fellow brother in blue to take his own life. What mysteries and dangers will the final issue of Rodney Barnes' series reveal? And can Paul bring peace to the restless spirits that haunt its empty halls?

Here's all the info from Oni Press: 

CROWNSVILLE #5 (of 5)

 

WRITTEN BY RODNEY BARNES

ART BY ELIA BONETTI

COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

 

For nearly a century, Maryland’s Crownsville State Hospital has stood as a living testament to a dark chapter in America’s past . . . a segregated mental institution where Black patients were routinely subjected to abuse, neglect, unethical medical testing, and even secret government experimentation, before its doors were closed forever.

 

But the past doesn’t always stay in the past. The ghastly and horrific secrets shuttered away at the abandoned institution have returned from the grave to seek justice for the horrors inflicted upon them. With their pasts intertwined in the history of the hospital, Detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blair bear witness in this stunning conclusion as the spirits of Crownsville who cannot find rest instead seek retribution!

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

 

 

$4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE MARCH 11, 2026

IOD:  1/31/2026

FOC: 2/16/2026

 

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this cover preview with us. 

Crownsville #2 Review

 

Writer: Rodney Barnes

Artist & Colorist: Elia Bonetti

Letterer: Marshall Dillon

Cover Artists: Jason Shawn Alexander & Elia Bonetti

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 10, 2025

 

Paul Blair's mother told him about an incident that weighed down her soul. As he mourns her passing, the journalist wants to tell a story that matters before he retires. Todd Hicks' decisions prevented him from entering the Police Academy. Becoming a security guard gives him another chance to shine. He hopes it will give his family the life they deserve.

 

Mike Simms dreamed of one day leaving to pursue life as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Instead, the Homicide Detective watches as gang violence and drugs devour his hometown. How will a shuttered mental institution unite all three guardians of their community? And can they do right by the patients once interred within its walls? Let’s leap into Crownsville #2 and see!

 

Story

The Crownsville State Hospital may have closed its doors. Yet it still claims victims. The latest is Dennis Thompson, a retired police officer who hanged himself while guarding the premises. Todd Hicks had just embarked on his new career when he found the decorated cop’s body. Now, Todd’s wife wonders why she hasn’t seen him in days.

 

Crownsville #2 begins with a dream. Homicide Detective Michael Simms relives happy times from his youth. Yet as those memories play out as recurring dreams, they remind him of his tragic past. Like journalist Paul Blair, Michael's mother had a link to Crownsville. While Paul seeks a story to help him look back on his career with pride, Mike wants to know why a respected brother in blue hanged himself in an empty building.

 

As Rodney Barnes sends these men on an extraordinary journey, he also transports them into their pasts. Entering this world of unhappy memories will force both men to confront long-buried truths. But there is a price to pay for gaining dark knowledge. And if Mike and Paul are not careful, it could be their sanity that's at risk.

 

Art

Elia Bonetti opens Crownsville #2 with a celebration. The distant Ferris Wheel, roller coaster, and amusement park rides glow. Their light infuses the night with energy. As in Jaws, a darkened figure eschews a beach party for the ocean. Moonlight illuminates the waves, evoking the rich tapestry of life below the surface.

 

Elia Bonetti paints scenes with a limited palette. Colors contrast, while light and dark battle. Silhouettes surrounded by light give way to glowing people shining like beacons in darkened rooms. In Crownsville #2, lines scratch panels, black revealing depth and shadows, and white suggesting characters’ auras.

 

Marshall Dillon shares memories with black, uppercase letters in lavender narrative boxes, and present-day dialogue in white balloons. When the past comes alive, the spirits of the departed speak into gray-white balloons, while laughter and screams echo through dark halls of the Crownsville State Hospital. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

While addressing how traumatic events affect us in unexpected ways and leave their mark where they occurred, Crownsville #2 reminds us that decision-makers, workers, and observers have a responsibility to report wrongdoing.

 

Rating 9.8/10 

 

For more see my cover preview of Crownsville #2. 

Crownsville #2 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

 

Mike Blair's mother told him about an incident that weighed down her soul. Now, the journalist wants to tell a story that matters before he retires. Todd Hicks' decisions prevented him from entering the Police Academy. Becoming a security guard gives him another chance to shine. He hopes it will give his family the life they deserve. 

Mike Simms dreamed of one day leaving to pursue life as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Instead, the Homicide Detective watches as gang violence and drugs devour his hometown. How will a closed-down mental institution unite all three guardians of their community? And can they do right by the patients held captive within its walls?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

CROWNSVILLE #2 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY RODNEY BARNES ART BY ELIA BONETTI COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER WRENCHED BACK FROM THE ABYSS, A BLOODSTAINED HISTORY HAS COME ROARING BACK TO HAUNT THE LIVING! Inspired by the all-too-real events of Maryland’s most notorious mental asylum, master storyteller Rodney Barnes (Batman: Full Moon) and ethereal artist Elia Bonetti (Darth Vader) unite to tell the heart-pounding tale of a murder investigation where the vengeful ghosts of the 20th century are both suspect and witness . . . The spirits are stirring in the long-abandoned mental institution known as Crownsville. The long-buried dark secrets of its past are forcing their way to the surface. What happened at this troubled place so many years ago? These tortured souls are determined to be paid their due. Anyone now coming into contact with the facility is being deeply affected—and even killed . . . penance for sins of the past.  How can crimes so heinous be repaid? With the spectre of the past looming large, a lone police detective and his old friend—a local journalist—are determined to uncover the secrets of Crownsville and try to put the past to rest once and for all! ON SALE DECEMBER 10, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FC

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

 

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this cover preview with us.

 

Crownsville #1 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

Paul's mother is dying. But she's got something she needs to get off her chest before she meets Saint Peter at the pearly gates. Todd is a security guard working hard to take care of his family. Mike is a homicide detective who has seen too much death and too little change. But maybe, somehow, all three men can change that.

Here's all the info from Oni Press: 

CROWNSVILLE #1 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY RODNEY BARNES ART BY ELIA BONETTI COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI COVER C BY SZYMON KUDRAŃSKI FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER VARIANT COVER (1:20) BY ANDREA SORRENTINO B&W VARIANT (1:50) BY ANDREA SORRENTINO SINS OF THE PAST DON’T STAY BURIED... THEY ALWAYS FIND A WAY OF RISING FROM THE GRAVE! From Eisner Award–nominated writer and master storyteller Rodney Barnes (Batman: Full Moon, Killadelphia) and phenomenal artist Elia Bonetti (Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy), enter a century-spanning tale of suspense and sorrow as true crime meets shocking terror inside an infamous asylum with a tortured past in this double-sized, 48-page debut . . . Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, Maryland, the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect—alongside darker, more-persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments—it was finally closed. Today, it stands condemned—a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community.   But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow. . . . When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horrors that once took place there . . . and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls. ON SALE NOVEMBER 5th 2025 | $4.99 | 48 PGS. | FC     Here are more cover options:     COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI       COVER C BY SZYMON KUDRAŃSKI

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

VARIANT COVER (1:20) BY ANDREA SORRENTINO

B&W VARIANT (1:50) BY ANDREA SORRENTINO

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us.

Crownsville #1 Preview

 

COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

 

Rodney Barnes first appeared on my radar when I reviewed his alien invasion series Monarch for Image Comics. This touching yet heartbreaking tale about children struggling to survive in their abandoned school felt like a love letter to HG Wells' immortal novel War Of The Worlds. Now, he's preparing to take readers on a different journey with Oni Press.

Here's all the info:

 

Rodney Barnes & Elia Bonetti Reveal the Haunted Past of CROWNSVILLE #1 – Coming Soon from Oni Press

This November, the Superstar Co-Creator of KILLADELPHIA Presents a Shocking Tale of Generational Horror …

 Inspired by the Maryland’s Infamous Jim Crow-Era Psychiatric Hospital

 

CROWNSVILLE #1 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY RODNEY BARNES

ART BY ELIA BONETTI 

COVER A BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI 

COVER C BY SZYMON KUDRAŃSKI

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

VARIANT COVER (1:20) BY ANDREA SORRENTINO 

ON SALE NOVEMBER 12, 2025 | $4.99| 48 PAGES | FC

IOC: 9/27/2025

FOC: 10/20/2025

 

Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is proud to unveil CROWNSVILLE #1 – the double-sized, 48-page first issue of a grim and gripping supernatural thriller from superstar writer Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia) and rising star Elia Bonetti (Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy) inspired by the real-life horrors of the notorious Maryland psychiatric hospital that preyed upon the Black communities of Jim Crow-era Annapolis for decades. 

With this chilling, five-part series exploring a terrifying modern-day mystery rooted in the hospital’s tragic past, Barnes — the Eisner Award-nominated writer of Killadelphia and Blackula and Peabody award-winning writer of The Boondocks and Wu-Tang: An American Saga — is collaborating with acclaimed artist Bonetti (Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy) to craft a ghost story set in the ruins of the tragedy-laden site once called the “Hospital for the Negro Insane of Maryland,” which finally closed in 2004 decades of controversy and disrepair. 

 

The 48-page CROWNSVILLE #1 will arrive in stores November 5th, 2025, with covers by Barnes' Killadelphia co-creator Jason Shawn Alexander (Spawn), interior artist Elia Bonetti (Darth Vader), Syzmon Kudranski (The Punisher), and Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls, EC’s Blood Type). 

 

 

AUTHOR RODNEY BARNES IN FRONT OF CROWNSVILLE HOSPITAL

 

 

“Oni Press is known for publishing hair-raising horror comics and provocative stories with a strong, personal, and political point of view,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn. “CROWNSVILLE is a remarkable piece of storytelling that sits alongside our award-winning books. Rodney’s words and Elia’s haunting art combine to tell an unrelenting and riveting story, one that is as important and it is horrifying.”

Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, Maryland, the Crownsville Hospital was a notoriously segregated, all-Black psychiatric institute. After decades of overcrowding and neglect— alongside darker, more-persistent rumors of patient abuse and illegal medical experiments—it was finally closed. Today, it stands condemned—a crumbling testament to a legacy of all-too-real terror inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable community. But even as a ruin of its former self, Crownsville still casts a long shadow. . . . When an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide, Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare are compelled to dig deeper, only to discover the reality of the horrors that once took place there . . . and the powerful connection they share to the anguished spirits of the dead that are still locked within its walls.

 

“CROWNSVILLE is the supernatural mystery tale I’ve been dying to tell,” said writer Rodney Barnes. “From a childhood haunt born in a place of pain, it’s my cathartic effort I’m thankful to share with the world. I can’t wait for folks to get a look at it.”

"The best kinds of horror stories challenge us to not only confront ghosts or monsters, but also grapple with the pain and terror we inflict on each other. Sometimes that torment lasts only moments, or, as is the case of CROWNSVILLE, it can span decades," said Oni President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. "Together, Rodney and Elia have zeroed in on a masterfully, deeply rendered story that can both induce spiraling, white-knuckle terror and confront the tortured past underpinning a shocking and all-too-true chapter of modern American history."

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY ELIA BONETTI

 

 

COVER C BY SZYMON KUDRAŃSKI

 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER

For more updates on Oni Press, visit them on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

 

About Oni Press

Founded in 1997, Oni Press has a 25-year history as one of the industry’s most respected and acclaimed publishers of award-winning comic books and graphic novels with titles including Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, K. O’Neill’s Tea Dragon Society, Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt's The Sixth Gun, Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer, Ezra Clayton Daniels' Upgrade Soul, Brenna Thummler’s Sheets trilogy, and many hundreds more. In 2019, Oni Press merged with Lion Forge Comics – the Eisner Award-winning independent comic book publisher founded by Academy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur David Steward II – to create one of the largest, independent libraries of comics content anywhere in media. The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group now exists as a publishing subsidiary of Steward’s diversified global media company, Polarity.

The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group publishes more than 60 original and licensed graphic novels annually, in addition to an extensive list of periodical comics.

About the Creators

Rodney Barnes is an award-winning writer, producer, and comic book creator whose vibrant, emphatic voice has established him as a Hollywood mainstay. 

Barnes was most recently an executive producer and writer for HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, chronicling the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Showtime Lakers.

His publishing imprint, Zombie Love Studios, is dedicated to storytelling through unique BIPOC perspectives, including Killadelphia—nominated for an Eisner Award, Blacula: Return of the King—an adaptation of the cult horror classic, Monarch—an apocalyptic sci-fi adventure series following a group of Compton school kids in the midst of an alien invasion, and Florence & Normandie—a collaboration with artist/entertainer Xzibit.

Additionally, Barnes hosted the Winning Time Podcast, and is host & co-creator of the Run, Fool! Podcast—a collaboration between MrBallen, At Will Media, and Campside Media with 800K downloads a month and ranked 38th in true crime fiction podcasts.

Elia Bonetti was born in 1983 in Parma, currently lives and works in Italy. After graduating from the Art School he moved to Florence to study in the "International School of Comics" where he is currently a teacher at the headquarters of Reggio Emilia. He began his professional career as illustrator and storyboarder. For Italy he collaborated with Astorina (Diabolik), Star Comics and Rizzoli. For America he has worked for Marvel and DC comics: Captain America, Spider-verse, Death of Wolverine, Agents of Atlas. Fear Itself Home Front, and Catwoman. Since 2010, his work has appeared in France for Éditions Soleil: (L'ordre des dragons and the trilogy of Dogma) and for Glénat: (La Nuit de Morts Vivants). He worked for several clients such as Pinko, Ferrari and Ducati. In parallel with the work of illustrator, he works on personal projects concerning painting.

 

For more of Rodney Barnes' work: 

See my review of Monarch #1. 

Bond fans: you might enjoy my review of James Bond: Himeros HC. 

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this preview with us.