Spaghetti westerns might be a thing of the past, but the Old West is still prime material for horror, especially this year. Oni Press just announced their latest series, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost Mine, and it looks like they’re taking a trip back in time, blending classic gunslinger stories with ancient horrors beyond comprehension.
The three issue limited series is written by Tyler Crook with art from Emily Schnall, described by Oni as There Will Be Blood meets The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. Each issue features not only thirty pages of story, but special cardstock covers and backmatter showing off process art, character designs, and historical reference details. The series’ synopsis is as follows:
In the harsh Western frontier of the mid-1800s, runaway teens Buck and Toby dream of finding their own destiny and wealth beyond the oppressive walls of the orphanage where they became brothers. With a small work crew, they set out for the Holy Ghost Mine, a silver stake deep in the hills of the Nevada Territory under the direction of the eager but inexperienced Henry Gaines.
According to Henry, his father, Harlan, has developed a mysterious new technique that produces the highest quality silver—but when they reach the mining camp in the center of a great salt flat, they find empty barracks, an inactive mine shaft, and a frantic Harlan determined to send them quickly away . . . before it’s too late.
“The Father, The Son, and the Host Ghost Mine started with a simple question: What if, instead of selling your soul to the Devil, you found a way to sell other people’s souls?” said Crook. “From there the story evolved to become an exploration of friendship, family, and ambition. Everyone in this story is desperate to get their hands on something to make themselves feel complete. For some it’s wealth, for others it’s love, and some just want to find their way home. I’m excited for readers to enter this weird world which Emily Schnall is rendering with an expressive beauty that is going to knock everyone’s socks off.”
The series’ first issue features two variant covers by Crook and Schnall, as well as variants designed by Anand RK and Noah Bailey, along with a blank sketch cover.
“The Old West as a setting holds immense mythological weight in literature. It's full of violence, loss, doomed aspirations, and endless mysteries—the perfect foundation for a horror story,” said Oni’s Bess Pallares. “But what Tyler and Emily bring to The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost Mine is a tenderness in the relationships and dreams of these characters that makes the whole story feel desperately more dangerous, like cradling a delicate glass orb in a rock slide.”
Oni Press's The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost Mine #1 hits shelves on February 3, 2027. Check out a sneak peek of the first issue down below:
