Titan Comics announced “The Illuminati Ball,” a new graphic novel from author and visual artist Cynthia von Buhler (“Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini”), out this October.
The story, described as Eyes Wide Shut mixed with The Island of Dr. Moreau, is inspired by leaked photos of the real-life masquerade hosted by the Baron and Baroness de Rothchild, which in 1972 drew famous guests like Salvador Dali and Audrey Hepburn. For the past four years, von Buhler and her Speakeasy Dollhouse team have hosted similar events as immersive theater in New York City; “The Illuminati Ball” graphic novel imagines these parties with a scientific twist: animal-human hybrids.
The Illuminati Ball candidates crave power, love, money, respect, fame – that which eludes them. Their enigmatic host, known only as Pig King, craves something more basic: salvation for his kind. But an Illuminati Ball requires a sacrifice.
“The characters in the graphic novel are fanciful, but I assure you, the science is real. Spider cows and pig humans are among us. Read this story and discover the light of scientific truth,” said von Buhler.
The graphic novel will debut at this year’s New York Comic-Con before hitting shelves on October 16. On the Friday, October 4, of Comic-Con, von Buhler and Speakeasy Dollhouse will host a ball based on the graphic novel, an experience described as “both intimate and expansive.” Guests must apply at theilluminatiball.com and be accepted before purchasing tickets to the ball’s secret location. The website also features a few “leaked” photos from past events for those unfamiliar with them.
