In a land blighted by conflict, where the soil gives little and the seas less, a struggling, small village fisherman chances upon a sealed box. When his hopes of untold riches turn into a deadly game of wits against an otherworldly three eyed monstrosity, he figures this maybe, just isn’t his lucky day.

Introducing The Palace of Tears, a 120 page graphic novel reinvention of a Middle Eastern folktale of the same name. A spurned King, his bloodthirsty Queen and her undead lover, our hero will face despots and dungeons, enchanted palaces, secret kingdoms and eldritch creatures of chaos when all he really wants, is to bring home a decent catch for supper. Exploring a symbolically rich love triangle, the tale evolves into a deeper, darker deconstruction of the controlling male psyche, fear of unconstrained female sexuality and existential dread.

Echoing the sumptuous golden age illustrations of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, with a twist of contemporary psychedelic horror, The Palace of Tears is the latest creation of Michael Lomon, winner of the inaugural 2023 UK Caliburn Prize, recognising new and unpublished comic creators. Ten years in the making and traditionally pencilled and inked, this is an ambitious and uncompromising visual work.