Doug L. :: SOMNA

Tula Lotay, SOMNA Cover issue 1

Artist: Tula Lotay (All)

116 Views - 2 Comments - 3 Likes

Tula Lotay, SOMNA Cover issue 1 Comic Art

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Tula Lotay, SOMNA issue 1, page 3

Artwork Details

Title:	Tula Lotay, SOMNA Cover issue 1
Artist:	Tula Lotay (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	116
Likes on CAF:	3 4
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	12/14/2024
Comic Art Archive:

Description

An erotic, hallucinatory bedtime story set in the 17th Century witch trials.

Tula Lotay and Becky Cloonan together made SOMNA, which won the Eisner Award for Best New Series in 2024. It is fitting that this story is told by two women, as it looks at a witch trial from the point of view of the women involved. As is often the case, SOMNA tells a tale of a society terrified and mystified by women expressing their sexuality and bodily autonomy.

This innovative series switches back and forth between Cloonan's more realistic style - which represents the day-to-day drudgery and life in the 17th Century, and Lotay's more erotic, hallucinatory style - which portrays the dream-like, erotic longing of the female characters. As witches were seen as women who gave into the devil, the representation of female longing here is a dark, dream character who "seduces" the main character Ingrid as she sleeps. Or really, showing how Ingrid reacts to a lonely life, isolated in a remote village with a husband who mostly travels and when present barely interacts with her.

Ultimately, SOMNA is a retelling of a Salem witch trial from the point of view of the women of the community, some of which are naive and easily swayed, while others are chillingly harsh as the stakes are death by fire. No matter who is telling the story, the ending is always the same - women being punished for being themselves, which confuses the men and upsets the community.

I love Lotay's work, and SOMNA is (to this point) the culmination of her ability to use eroticism to tell an honest and true tale. I debated whether to buy this cover for months (perhaps a year) before realizing that if an image sticks with me for that long, it has wedged its way into my psyche and I should stop debating and just pull the trigger.

I also purchased an interior page and a cut image (for many interiors Lotay used cut up boxes to complete a page). These are posted just after this cover. I highly recommend this book.

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About the Owner

	Doug L. ( 4 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	September 2019
Last Login:	January 2026
Country:	Not Specified
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Doug 's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Danny Hoskins
Member Since 2021

Posted on 12/14/2024

Very cool!

Malcolm Bourne
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/15/2024

Such a great, evocative cover. Congrats!

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