True Detective Meets Silence of the Lambs In Dark New 4-Part Crime Thriller
TJ Mills is an editor on ScreenRant's Comic team, where she combines her lifelong passion for DC with her analytical background as a former Intelligence Analyst. Since joining ScreenRant in 2023, she has specialized in covering major DC storylines, character evolutions, and industry developments.
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If you love the bleak investigations of True Detective and the chilling psychological-crime elements of The Silence of the Lambs, there’s a new four-part series arriving this November that mystery thriller fans won’t want to miss.
True Detective and The Silence of the Lambs are both masterpieces in their own right, with one told as a TV series and the other as a film. Now, the best elements of both works are set to collide this fall in The Agony of Stars. However, fans should know this new series also brings an exceptionally emotionally complex angle, helping it stand alongside True Detective and The Silence of the Lambs rather than simply echoing them.
Rather than unfolding on the silver screen, this mystery thriller will play out across the pages of a comic book. Eisner-nominated writer Jim Ousley (The Atonement Bell) and artist extraordinaire Etienne Derepentigny (Dead Kingdom) bring it to life, and the first issue of this four-part series is set to release on November 18, 2026. While there is still much to discover about this new series, the cover art and synopsis already have us counting down the days until its release.
The Agony of Stars: True Detective Meets The Silence of the Lambs, Explained
Main Cover by Etienne Derepentigny for The Agony of Stars #1 (2026)
Meant for mature readers, Red 5 Comics’ 28-page The Agony of Stars #1 is confirmed to be presented in full color and will be available for $4.95 at local comic shops upon its release. The official synopsis for the issue teases: “When the retired members of a controversial police unit in Memphis begin to be viciously murdered by a mysterious serial killer, investigators find a horrifying connection to a decades-old cold case and a woman suffering from dementia.”
For now, our first look at the series is a main cover and a variant cover by series artist Etienne Derepentigny. Both covers are rendered entirely in red and black and depict who we assume is the series' mysterious serial killer, given that his face is hidden in the shadows of a hood and he wields a mining pickaxe, with blood spray in the background. The art is chilling in its simplicity, and if this is any indication of what the interior art will look like, fans are in for a treat.
While much remains to be seen about this series, it already has some True Detective vibes. Like True Detective, The Agony of Stars seems to hint at an investigation connected to events from decades earlier. Both also seem rooted in the grim crime thriller genre and revolve around murders that are only part of a much larger mystery. Hence, if you love these elements of True Detective, you’ll likely love The Agony of Stars.
Switching gears, The Agony of Stars also seems poised to deliver a disturbing, psychologically charged story reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs. Much like Hannibal Lecter became an iconic figure in the latter, the serial killer in The Agony of Stars could become the defining face of the series.
Where The Agony of Stars already stands out from The Silence of the Lambs and True Detective, though, is the synopsis's mention of “a woman suffering from dementia.” This is perhaps the most intriguing detail teased in the synopsis, and it could bring a uniquely emotionally complex angle to the story. While it remains to be seen how The Agony of Stars will hold up against masterpieces like The Silence of the Lambs and True Detective, we have high hopes for this upcoming series.
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