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!
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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?
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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 $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE FEBRUARY 11, 2026
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?
Mysterious deaths at the long-defunct Crownsville mental institution have driven Maryland detective Mike Simms and reporter Paul Blair to dig deeper into the events that forced the infamous facility to close its doors, and what they find is a secret DYING to get out! But as they pursue the case, it is revealed that their own connections to this terrible place are proving to be much closer than either could have imagined. Both with troubled pasts, is it possible that their own lives were unknowingly defined by the ominous shadow the Crownsville institution cast over this quiet Maryland community? Can they live with what they find? And will what they find LET THEM LIVE?
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
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!
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
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 #1 is a tense debut mixing history with horror to deliver a debut that mines the past to face the future.
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, MD, 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.
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 #1 is a tense debut mixing history with horror to deliver a debut that mines the past to face the future.
I’m not one who normally goes straight to the horror comic but the premise of Crownsville #1 is one that piqued my interest and made it a debut comic I had to check out. Written by Rodney Barnes, to say the issue is good is an understatement. It’s good, really good, with a concept and deliver that sucks you in and leaves you unnerved. The series dives into the real history of the Crownsville Hospital, a segregated facility in a time when experimenting on individuals deemed “lesser” was a practice, a reprehensible one.
Where Barnes’ writing shines is to explore that past but weaving it into the story in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s preaching to the reader. Instead, the history is the core of the story and the concept explores that history. I’m not an expert on the subject and facility, but with it so close, Crownsville #1 makes me want to visit, explore, and learn more. It’s also haunting in so many ways.
Part of that unnerving experience is the art by Elia Bonetti and the lettering by Marshall Dillon. Bonetti’s art has a gritty, worn, almost dirty quality about it. The look screams ghost story, but there’s a sadness about it all. The art is haunting in multiple ways, with the emotion and weight depicted on the characters’ faces to the literal ghosts depicted. Barnes created a “mood” for the comic and Bonetti nails it in every way. Marshall Dillon’s lettering too stands out with a special touch to the ghosts and the echoes of the past which delivers a chill on the page.
Crownsville #1 is a hell of a debut. It nails the horror/ghost vibe it’s going for while using it to explore real history and horrors of the past. This is a stand out debut and sure to make “best of” lists when the time comes.
Founded at the turn of the 20th century outside of Annapolis, MD, 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.
Oni Press is publishing one of the most anticipated horror comics of the year, beginning with Crownsville #1 by Peabody Award-winning screenwriter and master storyteller Rodney Barnes and breakout star artist Elia Bonetti. This frightening and unforgettable five-issue comic book series is inspired by actual events and the terrible legacy of Maryland’s Crownsville Hospital. For decades, the notorious (and now defunct) Maryland psychiatric hospital traumatized the Black communities of Jim Crow-era Annapolis. For writer Rodney Barnes, the hospital’s awful history is intertwined with his own family legacy; his grandmother worked at the hospital as a nurse and a few family members were patients there.
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. . . .
In the highly anticipated series, an unexplained death inside the abandoned hospital is ruled a suicide. But a lone police detective and his old friend—a local journalist— soon discover the reality of the horrors that are still locked within its walls. In issue two, the mystery deepens around Annapolis police detective Mike Simms and journalist Paul Blairare as they discover that anyone coming into contact with the facility is being deeply affected —and even killed… penance for sins of the past.
