A brand new terror is emerging from the shadows of John Carpenter’s dark imaginings this summer. Out today, August 4, 2026 via Storm King Comics, CATHEDRAL is Carpenter’s highly anticipated first original graphic novel. The release is accompanied by a new John Carpenter single “Revenge” which will appear on the book’s corresponding album CATHEDRAL arriving this Friday, August 7 on Sacred Bones Records. Get ready for extreme horror on all fronts – the Lord of the Underground is emerging!

Downtown Los Angeles sets the scene for John Carpenter’s CATHEDRAL in the book co-written with acclaimed producer and editor Sandy King and writer Sean Sobczak, illustrated by renowned artists Federico De Luca and Luis Guaragna, colored by Sian Mandrake, and lettered by Marshall Dillon. For collectors, limited editions of the book will feature covers by some of the greatest talents in illustration right now: Storm King exclusive by Francesco Francavilla, Storm King Album exclusive by Luis Guaragna with Sian Mandrake; Sacred Bones exclusive by Leonardo Colapietro; and Midsummer Scream exclusive by Jason Shawn Alexander, in addition to the main cover by Federico De Luca.

The story begins where an abandoned cathedral stands, fenced in and ignored by the world around it. The preoccupied passers-by have long since ceased to notice the dilapidated church in their midst, never mind sensing the danger and centuries old evil trapped inside its walls. A gruesome murder one late night pulls the structure into the spotlight, triggering a police investigation into the loss of one of their own. Lieutenant Christine Marks, along with detectives Paul Hernandez and Steve Mayfield, must enter the church in search of the monster that murdered her father. Every step takes them deeper into the belly of the church revealing the mystery of an ancient evil imprisoned within. 

Completing the audio/visual project is CATHEDRAL, the album which finds John Carpenter and longtime band mates Cody Carpenter (synths) and Daniel Davies (guitar) providing the soundtrack for an elevated terrifying experience. Each track on the album aligns with a chapter of the graphic novel, with liner notes guiding listeners through the story. As a result the story unfurls like a film and is the closest approximation to a new movie from Carpenter since 2010. “It was so cinematic and vivid,” Carpenter says of the dream that inspired the story. “I thought, ‘I have to score this.’ It’s kind of our first heavy metal album.”

Following the previously shared tracks “Lord of the Underground” and “The Ferryman” another chapter of CATHEDRAL is revealed with “Revenge.” It is here brave Lieutenant Marks perseveres against all odds for the final face-off with the great terror. “Revenge” soundtracks a climactic fight scene. “This dramatic climax started out as a rough demo from Daniel,” Cody Carpenter says. “It contains one of the themes that appears throughout the album, combined with rocking guitars and screaming riffs. For me, it invokes images and emotions that culminate in the awesome climax.” 

A master storyteller in horror and science fiction across the disciplines of film, music, comics and games, John Carpenter has been terrifying audiences, writing, directing and producing timeless genre movies like Halloween, The Thing, and Escape From New York, and as an editor and contributor alongside Sandy King to graphic novel anthologies and series Tales for a HalloweeNight, Asylum and Tales of Science Fiction, just to name a few. More than five decades in, for the first time in his career fans can celebrate with his first original graphic novel CATHEDRAL.  

To support the release of CATHEDRAL, look for John Carpenter to make several singing appearances:

August 8 

Midsummer Scream @ Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA

August 14-16

Fan Expo @ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Chicago, IL

Following these events where John will be signing the special variants of CATHEDRAL books and vinyl, The Horror Show Exhibition at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles will open September 28 featuring the John Carpenter: Prince Of Darkness screening series.

CATHEDRAL is available now in bookstores (bookshop.org), online, and Storm King Comics (stormkingcomics.com), and on August 5, 2026 in comics shops (findyourcomicstore.com). 

Written by John Carpenter, Sandy King, Sean Sobczak

Illustrated by Federico De Luca, Luis Guaragna

Colored by Sian Mandrake

Lettered by Marshall Dillon

Cover by Federico De Luca

120 pp

MSRP: $22.99

ISBN: 979-8-9928116-8-1

View the “Revenge” visualizer here

About John Carpenter

John Carpenter is an influential filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and composer whose work has shaped modern horror and genre cinema for decades. A graduate of the USC School of Cinema, he first gained attention with Dark Star before breaking through with Halloween in 1978, which became the most profitable independent film of its time and launched a landmark franchise.

His directing credits include genre classics such as The Fog, The Thing, Escape From New York, Big Trouble In Little China, They Live, Christine, Prince of Darkness, In The Mouth Of Madness, Vampires, and Escape from L.A., as well as Starman, which earned Jeff Bridges an Academy Award nomination. For television, he directed “Elvis” and “John Carpenter Presents Body Bags,” and received a CableACE Award for writing El Diablo. More than five decades in, for the first time in his career he will release his first original graphic novel with CATHEDRAL in August 2026. Also to further cement his talents as a composer and musical artist known for soundtracking his own projects, the release will be accompanied by CATHEDRAL the album this August.

Carpenter is also an accomplished composer, releasing his debut non-soundtrack album Lost Themes in 2014 to international acclaim. Born in Carthage, New York, and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, he lives in Hollywood with his wife and producing partner, Sandy King.

About Sandy King

Writer, producer of film, television and podcasts, and CEO of Storm King Productions. Sandy King’s filmmaking career has included working with John Cassavetes, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Mann, Walter Hill, John Hughes and John Carpenter.  She has produced films ranging from public service announcements on Hunger Awareness to a documentary on astronaut and teacher Christa McAuliffe for CNN, and major theatrical hits like They Live and John Carpenter’s Vampires. She directed and produced the John Carpenter Live tour film and it’s accompanying Behind the Scenes documentary, and produced the horror/thriller The Manor for BlumHouse and Amazon. In television she produced the series “Suburban Screams” for Universal. Her podcast “Roanoke Falls” for Realm won two Signal Awards. She is currently producing Something Wicked along with Twelve Angry Bears for Cineverse.

King is the first woman to found a comic publishing house. Through Storm King Comics, she has created and written the award-winning “Asylum” series, the multiple award-winning Tales for a HalloweeNight anthologies, and the graphic novel lines Tales of Science Fiction, Night Terrors and most recently, Dark & Twisted focusing on horror stories with no supernatural or sci-fi elements. In December 2019, King launched the comics line Storm Kids offering horror comics for ages 4 to 18 years old, and in 2021, received an Eisner nomination for the all ages title, Stanley’s Ghost. In 2026 she was nominated for a Bram Stoker award for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel for editing Tales for a HalloweeNight Vol. 11.

About Storm King Comics

Storm King Comics, formed in 2012 as a division of Storm King Productions, is headed by writer/producer and editor Sandy King. Along with her husband, director John Carpenter, King focuses on bringing the best writers from the worlds of comics, movies and novels together to bring their special brand of horror and sci-fi entertainment to comics. Their flagship comic book title John Carpenter’s Asylum has become a global fan favorite, followed by the award-winning annual anthology, John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight, and the monthly anthology series, John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction. More recent imprint additions to the Storm King brand are Dark & Twisted, John Carpenter’s Night Terrors, and John Carpenter Presents Storm Kids, introducing horror and sci-fi to younger audiences.