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Image Comics/ Ghost Machine— Sisterhood A Hyde Street Story #1: A Sinister Tale of Revenge
Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story - drops at your Local Comic Shop on July 2nd. Cover A by Artist Leila Leiz & Colorist Alex Sinclair. Image Comics
The death of a friendship can be as devastating as when a more 'classic' romantic-style relationship ends, but the former isn't spoken about enough. It is why writer Maytal Zchut felt compelled to pen about the issue through her latest tale for Ghost Machine with Sisterhood — A Hyde Street story, whose issue #1 (of 5) hits comic book shelves everywhere on July 2nd. 'Sisterhood was inspired by my personal experience with an ending friendship. I often describe the series as the story of a friend 'break-up', a topic I feel isn't often covered but can be equally as painful as losing any other significant relationship,' she explains. Zchut says that she wanted to explore ideas of support versus betrayal in these kinds of dynamics, '...and while the characters took on a life of their own, the core of the story taps into my own emotions around this particular struggle.'
Moreover, friendships are fostered through common and differing interests, which is why the story of Violet and Sophie—two besties contending with a sorority hazing gone awry and seeking revenge from beyond the grave is certainly suspenseful and supernatural—but what's more eerie is the entire dynamic is palpably relatable. We've all had that opposites-attract kind of friendship that flourishes and is further enriched through bonding experiences. The story that unfolds (and unravels) between Violet and Sophie is no exception.
For Sister Hood and Sophie, on Hyde Street — death is never final. Image Comics
What is most exemplary was the stylization choices to accentuate these elements. From the coloring to the wardrobe selections, you can see and feel the personas of each girl emanating off the pages and panels. This was all by design. 'Maytal sent me descriptions of the characters and from there I started to imagine what they might look like. After I had the features in mind, I considered how each would dress based on her personality. It also helped the synergy that Maytal and I talked for hours about every detail from what the characters would look like to what they would wear,' explains artist Leila Leiz.
Sisterhood Variant Cover C by Artist Peter Snejbjerg and Colorist John Kalisz. Image Comics
The most salient aspect of the storytelling was the jarring juxtapositions—the 'Snow White' dress as seen on Sister Hood (the 'psychic/witch') in what appears to be a wedding gown (and is also a bit of a homage to 'Devour', their previous one-shot project together)—has historically symbolized purity and innocence. 'We really considered what outfits would fit with each character. For example, when we were thinking about Sister Hood, we felt she needed to have a warmer presentation to her so when we were contemplating whether to put her in all black or all white, we decided white was much more fitting,' explains Leiz. This stylization of gives her a veneer of being disarmingly kind; but ultimately, was a form of deception that caused Sophie to fatally trust this person. White is now 'reinterpreted' as something dark, sinister, and calculated.
Another example is the pastel pink (e.g. the preppy attire, bow ties)—which has long been deemed as a 'feminine' color—and societally associated with romance and sweetness. Here it is disturbingly tethered to suffering and bullying. 'Karma is a great example of this. I modeled her after 60s era Brigitte Bardot and her outfits were heavily inspired by French designers. We felt that pink would be a great fit for the femininity of the sorority, and contrast with the darker elements of the story,' says Leiz. Karma (instigator of the sorority hazing) is a wolf in sheep's clothing and her appearance helps drive that unsettling ambiance in the story.
Sister Hood character: a deceptive person whose ulterior motive is to create chaos rather than calm. Image Comics
Sisterhood is laced with these aesthetic contrasts to propel character depth and pacing of the narrative: 'One of my favorite looks is Sophie with the letterman jacket, which felt very appropriate for a college student. With the hoodie underneath, it shows that Sophie is more introverted and doesn't want to be noticed, she's just another student walking by. When you see her side by side with Violet when they arrive at college, Violet's outfit suggests she wants to be noticed, so that was a nice contrast as well,' explains Leiz.
Dominance and control is another theme explored through these characters's wardrobes: 'I also like Karma's outfit in the pool scene. She's wearing a designer outfit that was very intentional to depict her personality and level of wealth. It gives you a sense of her power and influence the first time you see her,' offers Leiz.
Sister Hood with one of her victims. Image Comics
Compared with Devour's singular issue, Sisterhood's five issues has afforded Zchut an opportunity to foster a more profound connection with the readers by allowing us to delve into the psyches of these people, 'I wanted to develop the characters more and really dive deeper into the emotion of the story. I feel we've accomplished what we set out to do with this series and all of us have developed our synergy as a team, that within itself shows growth from Devour,' says Zchut.
Ultimately, Sisterhood is exploring the lifecycle of friendship— from its birth to its death—albeit with a devious, supernatural twist. In conjuring up a 'Mean Girls'/ Scream Queens ' aesthetically-enriched mood board and coupling it with the homage-like horrors found on 'Fear Street' —it is what makes this an engrossing read from cover-to-cover.
SISTERHOOD A HYDE STREET STORY #1 via Ghost Machine and published by Image Comics is out July 2nd, 2025.
