James Tynion IV & Elsa Charretier unite for sexy, grindhouse romance comic

Be careful who lists you as their emergency contact. A writer learns this lesson the hard way in The City Beneath Her Feet, a new grindhouse action romance from DSTLRY. Written by James Tynion IV with art by Elsa Charretier, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Aditya Bidikar, this three-issue series follows a New York City writer, Zara, thrust into the city’s underbelly because she was listed as her ex’s emergency contact. Turns out her ex was one of the world’s deadliest assassins, and now a cadre of killers is out to find Zara and ensure that she can’t spill their secrets. 

DSTLRY has made a big impression in its first year publishing comics, earning the Best New Series Eisner Award for its erotic horror series Somna. DSTLRY’s formula for success is partnering up top-tier talent for self-contained stories, presented in an oversized format with impeccable production values. Tynion IV, himself a multi-Eisner winner, has already written an exceptionally moody horror series for DSTLRY, Spectregraph, and The City Beneath Her Feet goes in a very different direction by delivering a high-octane romantic thriller told through Charretier’s bright, extremely animated art. 

The City Beneath Her Feet (Art: Elsa Charretier/Publisher: DSTLRY)

“This is a story about the people you fall in love with who change your life forever, and realizing all the things you thought you knew about them were wrong,” says co-creator and writer James Tynion IV. “It’s also one of the most viscerally fun, violent, and sexy comics I’ve ever had the opportunity to write. More than that, it’s also my chance to write a real love letter to New York City, where I was born and where I’ve spent the majority of my adult life, and tell that story in the language I learned watching Tarantino movies and romantic comedies on loop as a young man. And I get to do it with Elsa, Jordie, and Aditya—three of my favorite creators working in comics today.”

“This vibrant, dangerous underbelly of New York City is so remote from my life as a French artist living by cows and sheep that it’s been exhilarating to come up with my own buzzing, fantasized, high-octane version,” says co-creator and artist Elsa Charretier. “James’ energetic scripts are perfect to combine my experience of drawing emotional depth and unlock new levels of gravity-halting action scenes. I’ve already fallen head over heels with Jasper’s cat-like va-va-voom and Zara’s true New Yorker personality, and I know you will too.”

These exclusive character designs from Charretier highlight how well she is able to convey personality through clothing and body language. Zara is demure and utilitarian whereas her ex, Jasper Jayne, is flamboyant and carefree with her leopard print jacket and giant safety pin skirt. And then there’s Liz, whose design projects both sex and danger by incorporating Shibari rope bondage in her garb. 

Pairing Charretier’s crisp linework with Jordie Bellaire’s dramatically expressive coloring promises that The City Beneath Her Feet will feature visuals that explode off the page. Chip Mosher, DSTLRY co-founder and CEO, describes the book as “a relentless barrage of color, motion, and hormones,” and readers can join the thrill ride when The City Beneath Her Feet #1 hits stands this November.  

The City Beneath Her Feet #1 (Art: Anwita Citriya/Publisher: DSTLRY)

The City Beneath Her Feet: Zara (Art: Elsa Charretier/Publisher: DSTLRY)

The City Beneath Her Feet: Jasper Jayne (Art: Elsa Charretier/Publisher: DSTLRY)

The City Beneath Her Feet: Liz (Art: Elsa Charretier/Publisher: DSTLRY)