Now Read This: Somna Issue #2

The second issue of “Somna” is as breathtaking as the first, with a deeper story and a better understanding of our protagonist.

If you’ve checked out my issue #1 review of this fantastic series, you know that Somna is an erotic folk horror limited series by Cloonan and Lotay that takes us back to the 1600s, when an English village is gripped by witch-hunting hysteria.

Secrets abound, and social mores are tested as Ingrid, the wife of the village witchfinder, becomes more disillusioned with those around her and learns just how much darkness lies behind the facade of Puritan perfection.

Publisher DSTLRY describes the second issue as, “Set amidst the terrifying backdrop of the witch hunts in a quiet 1600s English village, Somna follows one woman’s erotic escape from the confines of her puritanical world. No one is above suspicion when the relentless Witch Hunter Roland draws his net around someone close to him as this darkly sexual thriller races towards its gripping conclusion!”

Somna is lovingly called a bedtime story as it delves into puritanical beliefs and the sexual and societal repression of women as Ingrid is increasingly tormented by a dream demon that promises to fulfill all of her darkest desires.

If you were lukewarm on issue one due to its exposition, orienting the reader and introducing the audience to Ingrid, the second issue will be a blistering godsend.

The mysteries deepen, and Ingrid finally explores the world around her and her lascivious nighttime fantasies.

In this issue, Ingrid discovers more about her childhood best friend Maja and her extramarital affair, as well as Maja’s role in the death of a woman accused of witchcraft. This becomes more and more complicated when Maja’s husband is found dead. Ingrid, however, does her best to protect Maja, believing that her friend is merely blinded by lust and could in no way be a monster complicit in multiple deaths.

In my humble opinion, the plot really kicks into gear in the second issue to the point it makes issue #1 the inevitable calm before a storm.

We get to see Ingrid’s growing internal conflicts as well as a persistent external threat present itself. Cloonan and Lotay have a tight grip on this plot, and it doesn’t feel like they’re just meandering through it.

It’s a tight and deliberate story that knows where it’s going even when the audience doesn’t.

This is horror storytelling at its finest, and personally, I would love to see more horror-themed narratives from the duo.

The gorgeous artwork continues in this issue, but I want to give props to Lotay’s nighttime fantasy scenes particularly. Lotay explores female sexuality in a way that is respectful yet raw. She doesn’t shy away from being explicit, but she is still conscious of female pleasure and desire.

We still live in a world where the subject of women’s sexuality is a taboo subject, so art that grapples with that head-on is deeply needed.

The underpinnings of repressed sexuality in Cloonan’s sections allow Lotay’s to pop in a thematically important way. It shows how each artist can bolster one another’s strengths as a visual storyteller.

Allow yourself to be enthralled by this story and drawn in by the titillation and the terror.

Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay weave together a creepy tapestry that has me eager to read the finale.

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This issue is currently available at local comic shops and via the publisher DSTLRY’s website here. Several special editions and limited covers from various artists such as Emily Carroll, Julian Totino Tedesco, Jeff Stokely, Victoria Ying, and Vanessa del Rey.