DC will launch DC Horror, a new imprint, with movie prequel The Conjuring: The Lover, the company announced.  The move takes DC deeper into the horror genre a few years after Vertigo was shut down in favor of new mature readers label DC Black Label (see "DC to Abandon Vertigo, Zoom, and Ink Brands").  The new imprint will be aimed at readers 17 and older, making it DC's second mature readers label.

The Conjuring: The Lover will be a five-issue limited series that leads into New Line Cinema's upcoming The Conjuring installment, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.  It adds to the story of Jessica as a college freshman, when she first realizes that a sinister being has locked its sights on her.  The first 22-page issue is written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, screenwriter of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and New York Times bestselling author Rex Ogle, with art by Garry Brown (Babyteeth).  Cover artists include Bill Sienkiewicz on the A cover, Ryan Brown (Dark Nights: Death Metal) on a variant, and Barry Brown on a 1:25 ratio variant.

The series will also showcase some of the artifacts from Ed and Lorraine Warren's legendary room in The Conjuring Universe in backup stories.  The back-up story in the first issue is by Scott Snyder (Dark Nights: Death Metal), with art by Denys Cowan (Hardware, The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage).  The second issue back-up is by Che Grayson and Juan Ferreyra.

The first issue will arrive in stores on July 2 at $3.99, with a card stock variant selling for $4.99.  The second issue will street July 2.

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