The Dirt Beneath the Devil - by Dan Panosian (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A young woman travels west to claim her estranged father's inheritance--unaware she's been chosen for a brutal test, bound to a creature that isn't just a horse... and a journey not everyone will survive.

1891. June Buckley arrives in Kansas City to claim the inheritance of a father she never knew--but she's not the only heir.

Summoned alongside a volatile group of strangers, June is forced to travel by horseback to a remote ranch where the will is to be revealed. Under the watch of executor Temple Houston, they must follow the exact path her father once took into the frontier.

But the journey turns deadly when June is assigned Hendido--a massive, violent horse feared by all. After a brutal outburst, the creature mysteriously bonds with her, marking June as something more than just another heir.

As the group pushes deeper into the wilderness, paranoia grows, alliances fracture, and it becomes clear the journey is no formality--it's a test. And not all of them will survive it.

About the Author

Dan Panosian is an American comic book artist, with extensive credits as both a penciler and an inker. He began his career in 1987 working for AC Comics in the title Femforce. In 1990 he was hired by Marvel Comics to work on the titles Thor, Captain America, Quasar and The New Mutants. Dan then worked on titles including Batman, Green Lantern, Detective Comics and more.

Italian Comics artist and illustrator shaped from video editing and graphic design. He drew lots of horror and crime comics since 2015, like Monsterverse Declassified (Legendary Comics), Il Grande Diabolik 2021 (Astorina) and the graphic novel Io uccido (La nave di Teseo), from the bestseller by Giorgio Faletti. His last collaborations included Metal Hurlant #17 and 18 (Les Humanoïdes Associés), Terrorbytes (Mad Cave studios), and the second season of Simulacri (Sergio Bonelli Editore).

Lee Loughridge is an Eisner and GLAAD-award winning comic book colorist who has worked for the biggest and best publishers in the business. He is notably the colorist for the 2024 Eisner award-winning comic book series SOMNA: A BEDTIME STORY, and is the creator of Image Comics' hit new comic STANDSTILL.

Eisner-nominated letterer Pat Brosseau is a veteran of the comics industry, having contributed to titles across every major publisher, including Hellboy, Wolverine, Aliens vs. Predator, Batman, Justice League, Wonder Woman, Creepshow, and Dick Tracy. He lives in Northern Vermont with his wife and daughter.