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Oni Press Summons Horny Hellspawn and Victorian Thirst in Mariana Costa’s The Demon of Beausoleil
- The Curator
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Forbidden Love, Horned Heartthrobs, and Victorian Vibes: The Demon of Beausoleil Promises a Supernatural Slow-Burn for the Ages
Oni Press, the award-winning publisher known for kicking down the doors of the mundane since '97, is about to unleash a luscious gothic fever dream with The Demon of Beausoleil, the latest queer-romantic supernatural romp from Belle of the Ball mastermind Mariana Costa. Set in a monster-infested remix of Victorian London, it’s Penny Dreadful meets Call Me by Your Name - but with more claws, more chaos, and way more unresolved sexual tension.
Born in Brazil (allegedly) via a suspiciously cinematic hole in the ground, Mariana Costa is less "cartoonist" and more chaotic story-goblin. Fueled by narrative junk food and cursed whimsy, she devours tales whole - then regurgitates mutated new ones like a particularly artistic cryptid repopulating the comics ecosystem. Whether her literary spawn are masterpieces or beautiful disasters? That’s on you to find out. Just open wide and take a bite. Best known for Peritale, Belle of the Ball, and Life of Melody, Costa’s work walks the fine line between fairy tale and fever dream—with a wink, a nudge, and absolutely no respect for staying inside the lines.
At the black heart of this darkly decadent tale? Helianthes - aka “Hell” to friends, enemies, and poor traumatized exorcisees. He’s a half-demon dandy with horns, claws, a tail, and an ego the size of Buckingham Palace. By trade? An exorcist. By personality? A walking red flag with a closet full of bespoke waistcoats. His partner in paranormal pest control? Elias—a long-suffering bodyguard who’s had just about enough of Hell’s reckless antics, otherworldly flings, and brooding poetry collection.
But while dispatching demons is easy, navigating the slow-burn “will-they-won’t-they-oh-they-should-have-by-now” chemistry between them? That’s the real supernatural threat. As their exorcist bromance spirals toward something far more intimate, so too does the darkness they’re sworn to fight begin to slip out of the shadows. Hell might be half-demon, but he’s fully unprepared for what’s coming—on both the monster-hunting and emotional fronts.
“I wrote The Demon of Beausoleil during a time when I was buried under commercial work that left me creatively hollow,” said Mariana Costa. “This was my rebellious little love letter to everything too self-indulgent, too weird, too me. And now, thanks to Oni Press, I get to share it in its full, gloriously unpublishable form. Suck it, restraint.”
Editor Megan Brown of Oni Press chimed in with equal parts reverence and excitement:
“Mariana has created something incredibly tender and haunting - a queer narrative laced with blood, longing, and gut-punch honesty. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll thirst after fictional half-demons with deep emotional wounds. It’s everything we love about comics - and everything readers need more of.”
So, if you like your romance slow-burn, your demons horny, and your bodyguards brooding, The Demon of Beausoleil is ready to possess your shelf.
Coming to comic shops and bookstores January 27th, 2026.
Pack your holy water and maybe a handkerchief - you’ll need both.
Preview Art
Will You Fall for This Horny Half-Demon or Just Get Possessed Trying?
So what do you think - are you ready to let The Demon of Beausoleil claw its way into your heart (and your pull list)? Are you here for the exorcisms, the yearning, or the fashionably tormented demon spawn? Did this Victorian thirst trap of a tale just vault to the top of your most-anticipated reads?
Sound off in the comments, scream into the void, or just quietly pre-order it like a polite possessed person. Either way, we want to know - will you be joining Helianthes and Elias for a little supernatural slow-burn come January 2026?
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