Ghost Breaks Into The World Of Comic Books With "Sister Imperator" Miniseries

Last week, Ghost announced a limited comic miniseries coming out in March 2025, in collaboration with Dark Horse Comics. The miniseries, focusing on the titular 'Sister Imperator' character, joins the ever-growing list of comics based on, or inspired by, the rock and metal world.

There isn't much that Tobias Forge can't do. The mastermind behind Swedish metal band Ghost, Forge has been at the forefront of the band's recent pop culture explosion: it started with single "Mary on a Cross" suddenly appearing on TikTok, becoming an instant overnight trend, and has continued to grow with the release of the band's concert movie/feature length hybrid "Rite Here Rite Now".

Now, the band's already fairly intertwined lore is set to expand even more, with the news of "Sister Imperator", a four-part comic miniseries set to release next year. Not much has been revealed about the plot, but it puts the titular character front and centre, for what looks like an 'origin story' of sorts. The series is co-written by Forge.

The matriarch of the Clergy (the fictional organisation behind the band), Sister Imperator has overseen every incarnation of Papa Emeritus, insuring a smooth running of the band in their ongoing narrative. She has been the pinnacle (...) of each Papa ascending to the frontman role, steering the band through each 'era'.

After sadly passing away at the end of "Rite Here Rite Now", it seemed that Sister's story was all but done with. A few contextual clues were scattered in music videos, but nothing as concrete as a 'proper' explanation of her or her role in the Clergy.

Sister Imperator as she appeared in the "Dance Macabre" music video [photo: Ghost]

It's not entirely a surprise that Ghost have decided to go down this route. I'm more surprised that it's taken this long. Ghost are a band steeped in lore and theatrics, making them a perfect band to venture into graphic storytelling. This joins the likes of Bruce Dickinson's The Mandrake Project, and the recent announcement of viking metallers Amon Amarth's The Great Heathen Army.

Unlike the two mentioned above though, Ghost have collaborated with renowned comic company Dark Horse Comics, the company behind Hellboy, The Umbrella Academy and several others. Z2 Comics have been the go to company for bands and artists wanting to experiment with comics for a while now, and so it's refreshing to see Forge working with a different company. Dark Horse is also a much more mainstream company than Z2, which never hurts, as this miniseries will no doubt be rather popular.

One thing's for sure though: there's a lot to look forward to next year as a Ghost fan. This, alongside the world tour and high chance of new music on the horizon, leaves plenty to get excited about.

"Sister Imperator" #1 drops next year [photo: Ghost]