Chris Condon & Shawn Kuruneru Utter THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1 at Oni Press

IN THESE WOODS, FEAR EVERYTHING – EVEN EACH OTHER. Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997— is proud to unveil THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1 – a vicious and vengeful account of one of the Old West’s darkest episodes from those that lived to tell it from breakout writer Chris Condon (Ultimate Wolverine, That Texas Blood) and artist Shawn Kuruneru (Fishflies). A tense and entirely self-contained 48-page, one-shot graphic novella coming to comic shops everywhere in May 2025, THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1 returns the writer of THAT TEXAS BLOOD to his Western roots as realized through the lavishly destructive painted artwork of fast-rising star Shawn Kuruneru.

Ellen Janson is here to set the record straight about the highly publicized, oft-sensationalized journey her family undertook in 1846.

Ellen sets out with her mother, Irena, and her father, Leo, on the treacherous road west in search of a better life. But when her father chooses to split off from the party, taking an untested shortcut through the mountains, can their small family survive the elements, the wildlife—and each other? Or will their journey become nothing more than another goddamn tragedy?

“I had been reading about the tragic Donner Party of 1846 and an idea struck me: there’s a story here to tell, one that could capture the psychological tumult a family endures as they are faced with an impossible decision: kill…or be killed,” said writer Chris Condon. “We all know how the Donner Party played out, but we don’t know how things work out for the Janson family and that’s a story that the masterful Shawn Kuruneru and I are all too excited to tell. Thankfully, we’ve found a great home for this one-shot of survivalist terror at Oni Press who excels at telling gut-wrenching tales from beyond the pale.”

“The Goddamn Tragedy is a gritty thriller with an atmosphere akin to The Shining,” said artist Shawn Kuruneru. “For the past two years I’ve been drawing Westerns, starting with my own comics Cave Grave and Poor Moon, then Fishflies #6 for Jeff Lemire. As a fan of Chris’s writing on That Texas Blood, I am excited to bring this story to life with ominous color washes, rough line-work, and eerie shadows to slowly reveal the impending doom of the Janson family.”

THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1 is the next in a series of five all-new, genre-defying projects from acclaimed creators for Spring 2025 set to be revealed by Oni Press in the month ahead:

TOP SECRET TOP SECRET by TOP SECRET & TOP SECRET | February 2025

TOP SECRET by TOP SECRET & TOP SECRET | March 2025

FREE FOR ALL #1 by Patrick Horvath | March 2025

PLAGUE HOUSE #1 by Michael W. Conrad & Dave Chisholm | April 2025

THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1 by Chris Condon & Shawn Kuruneru | May 2025 May 202

THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1
WRITTEN BY CHRIS CONDON
ART & COVER BY SHAWN KURUNERU
ON SALE MAY 2025 | $6.99 | 48 PGS | FC | ONE-SHOT

Author Profile

Al Mega

I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!