The Patron: A Ghoulish Gallery of Art and Murder

Imagine a serial killer whose victims don't just die, but become immortalized — because their deaths skyrocket the value of their art. That's the unsettling premise of The Patron, the new creator-owned comic from acclaimed writer Christian Ward and Eisner-winning artist John J. Pearson.

Ward, celebrated for his visually stunning work on titles like Batman: City of Madness and Blood Stained Teeth, shifts to writing a deeply personal story. He teams with Pearson, known for his unique painterly style on The Department of Truth and an Eisner win for Blue In Green. Their combined talents promise a highbrow thriller where art meets blood.

The spark for The Patron came from a real-world joke about an artist's work becoming more valuable after their demise. But in this series, a mysterious benefactor, Mr. Cherish, takes that dark thought to its extreme. He scouts promising young artists, supports their careers, then orchestrates their untimely deaths to inflate the market for their oeuvres. It's a morbid, brilliant scheme.