Published Jun 12, 2026, 11:00 PM EDT
Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
This initially led him to pursue a career in filmmaking -- and even work briefly in the industry as an extra in the straight-to-video family film, Alice Upside Down -- before deciding that his talents would be better served discussing and showing appreciation for the various forms of entertainment he is passionate about.
No one could craft a heartwrenching poem or a spine-tingling horror story like Edgar Allan Poe in his day. Yet, many years after his mysterious death, the prolific author's work has proved timeless, continuing to frighten readers and even inspiring new stories that aim to pay homage to his talents.
The Poe Murders is a new graphic novel from Dren Productions LLC and distributed through Lakeside Books that does just that by telling a story that uses several of his most iconic works as a jumping-off point.
The Poe Murders
Image via Dren ProductionsWRITTEN BY JAMES MASCIA
ARTWORK BY ARTI KAHN FROM VB CREATIONS
BASED ON THE WRITINGS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE
- A killer is turning Edgar Allan Poe’s darkest stories into a trail of blood. Now Inspector Dupin must uncover the truth before the next nightmare becomes real.
The Poe Murders Reimagines The Writer's Most Iconic Tales As One Story
Image via Dren ProductionsTaking place in the 19th Century and set in a seemingly quaint town known as Bellgrave, The Poe Murders follows a lawman named Inspector Auguste Dupin. The infamous investigator arrives, just as a couple's much-anticipated marriage ceremony is about to take place, to look into the disappearance of a local man named Fortunato, a case that no one else but the person's heartbroken wife is willing to take seriously.
While the nature of that situation is soon destined to change, the matter does also prove to be the least of Dupin's worries as a series of shocking events begins to occur, with each appearing more mysterious and unexplainable than the last. For instance, Mr. Rowena's new wife, Annabelle, claims to be haunted by the ghost of her husband's late former spouse, Ligeia.
On top of that, the normally well-adjusted Lanius is driven to homicidal tendencies over the unsettling eye of Mr. Grimald, the elderly man he serves as a live-in caretaker. As things turn grimmer as the night wanes on, Dupin, Bellgrave's local police chief Lasalle, and Governor Prospero find themselves with their hands full of chaos to contain.
The official synopsis for The Poe Murders appears to suggest that the graphic novel tells a story similar to 2012's The Raven. The film stars John Cusack as Poe himself, who is enlisted to help solve a string of brutal crimes inspired by his own stories in 19th-century Baltimore.
However, The Poe Murders could be more accurately described as a reversal of the concept, and even calls to mind creator Mike Flanagan's The Fall of the House of Usher from 2023. The acclaimed Netflix original limited series reinterprets key stories by Poe as individual plot points in a comprehensive modern-day narrative tracing the turbulent legacy of a pharmaceutical company CEO and his doomed family.
The Poe Murders incorporates a similar mantra, rewriting classics like "The Telltale Heart" and "A Cask of Amontillado" as events taking place within a matter of days that interweave with one another throughout the story. It even brings in characters that die-hard fans of the gothic author should recognize.
The Poe Murders is a bit of a change of pace for writer James Mascia, who is known for penning horror comic books of a more modernistic and exploitative degree. He has previously released Flesh-Eating Cheerleaders from Outer Space and Under a Blood Red Moon, the latter of which also involves extraterrestrials, in addition to vampires and werewolves.
The Poe Murders is set to hit the shelves worldwide in fall 2026 and is now available for pre-order online.
English (US) · 