Dying Inside (Paperback or Softback)

Scott Pilgrim and Wednesday combine into a teenaged Fleabag in DYING INSIDE, a supernatural, emo-fantasy thriller from the minds of FALL OUT BOY’s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein, and Lisa Sterle!

Immortality is entirely overrated.

From Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein (Everything’s Fine), and Lisa Sterle (The Modern Witch Tarot, Witchblood) comes the graphic novel about a chronically depressed girl who’s tired of fighting for her…death.

Today is Ash’s big finale. And by finale, of course, she means exiting the stage permanently.

Ash is a sixteen-year-old girl with more angst than Ian Curtis and Elliott Smith combined (her two idols). She’s apathetic and therefore believes death is the easiest route to relief. But nothing is more embarrassing than a lame death. Unfortunately, her meticulous plans — which include the perfect outfit, soundtrack, and method — are all ruined when the beautiful knife she buys off a webstore turns out to be charmed with a protection spell.

Now, Ash has to track down the witch who turned her clocking out attempt into the worst gift imaginable: immortality. Turns out, the witch responsible is another sixteen-year-old-girl named (get this) Liv. The two vow to undo the charm together and fight for Ash’s death…even as things get increasingly entangled with a strange new antidepressant called Somnia and her mom’s gross boyfriend, Greg.

DYING INSIDE is a musically immersive experience, featuring QR codes that lead the reader to:

• original lyrics and poetry from Pete Wentz
• an integrated playlist from Pete Wentz and Hannah Klein
• never-before-heard music from Daisy Grenade
• and more!

For fans of: It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth (Zoe Thorogood), Squad (Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle), Light as a Feather (Zoe Aarsen), Book of Shadows (M. Verano), The Secret Circle (LJ Smith), Heart-Shaped Box (Joe Hill), the Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Leigh Bardugo), Vicious (V.E. Schwab), Bunny (Mona Awad), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (graphic novels, prose novels), the Practical Magic series (Alice Hoffman), Anya’s Ghost (Vera Brosgol), the series Charmed, and the films The Craft, Booksmart, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Easy A, and Jennifer's Body.

CONTENT WARNING: This book includes discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, and depiction of self-harm. While Vault hopes this book will help some readers feel less alone, its content may be triggering. Please only read ahead if you are safe and supported. If you are struggling, it's important to share your feelings with people you trust. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number is 988 - call or text 24/7 for free and confidential support. You can also access online at: https://988lifeline.org/

PRAISE FOR DYING INSIDE

“When they say books can save your life, they mean books like this."
— Ben Hennessy (Godfell, The Odds)

"Witches, music, and mystery intertwined — seriously, what's not to love?"
— Natalie Nardozza (Beneath the Surface, Step-Vampire)

"If I see Lisa Sterle’s name, I’m buying it."
— Chris Shehan (The Autumnal, House of Slaughter)

"Dying Inside is a bubblegum emo-goth swirl of depression, obsession, love, and self-discovery."
— Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters, Human Remains, Door to Door, Night by Night, The Final Girls)

"Reminiscent of Black Hole, Love & Rockets, and many classic 90's indie comics [...] Readers are in for a treat."
— Cody Ziglar (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Futurama, Rick & Morty, Miles Morales, Spider-Punk)

“Sterle’s underground punk art style will have you staring at each page for hours!"
— Justin Richards (Finger Guns, Everything is Different Now)

"An important book that would've made me feel seen as a teen."
— Val Halvorson (Finger Guns, Grimm Tales from the Cave)

“As beautifully drawn as it is darkly funny."
— Cody Ziglar (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Futurama, Rick & Morty, Miles Morales, Spider-Punk)

“DYING INSIDE is like a gay anime “Practical Magic”and I’m HERE FOR IT!”
— Corin Howell (Lilith, Shadow Service, Queen of Swords)

"A wonderful read with true heart."
— David 'DB' Andry (Resonant, Creepshow, Denizen, Morning Star)

“Strikes a deft balance between acerbic and sweet, while Lisa Sterle stuns with career-best artwork."
— John Lees (THE NASTY, SINK, HOTELL)

“Simultaneously one of the most adorable and disturbing things I’ve read in my life.”
- Eliot Rahal (HYSTERIA, Bleed Them Dry, Madam Satan)

Pete Wentz is the bassist and primary lyricist for the multi-platinum, award-winning rock band FALL OUT BOY. Wentz is also a writer, a producer, and a business owner, most notably DCD2 records (home of Fall Out Boy, Panic!at the Disco – who Wentz signed, Daisy Grenade, and more).

DYING INSIDE (with Hannah Klein and Lisa Sterle – for Vault Comics imprint, Headshell), is his first graphic novel.

Instagram: @petewentz
X: @petewentz

Hannah Klein was born and raised in New York City. She attended NYU, majoring in drama and dramatic literature, however, she was shitty at being serious and found her love of comedy while interning in the writers’ room at SNL. She has written for “The Detour” Season 3 on TBS and was a finalist at the New York Television Festival for her original dramedy pilot script “Everything’s Fine” (based on her personal struggle with bipolar disorder) which was sold to Snapchat as a series with Paul Feig and Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy producing (who also made the original music and co-music supervised). Hannah wrote all of the episodes which premiered on Snapchat in spring 2021. In the spring of 2021 she set her sights on discovering and curating a girl pop punk band - which is how the band Daisy Grenade came to be! She acted as their manager up until the fall of 2022 when they signed to DCD2 and Public Consumption (a subset of Elektra records). She now acts as their creative director while she continues to work on her upcoming film projects that are currently in development.

DYING INSIDE (with Pete Wentz and Lisa Sterle - Vault Comics' Headshell imprint) is her first graphic novel.

IG: @hannah_h_klein

X: @HannahHKlein

Lisa Sterle is a Columbus artist with work spanning from comic books to concept design to pop-culture-fueled illustration. Her work is often bright, expressive, and occasionally tinged with horror— marrying her two favorite themes: the beautiful and the grotesque. She has worked with HarperCollins, IDW, Image, Archie Comics, Vault Comics, BOOM! Studios, and many others. She is the co-creator of monthly comics Long Lost and Submerged (Vault Comics), and Witchblood (Vault comics), as well as creator of The Modern Witch Tarot Deck, a modern and diverse interpretation of the classic Rider-Waite tarot deck, and the illustrator on the graphic novel Squad with writer Maggie Tokuda-Hall for Greenwillow Books. She is currently illustrating the upcoming graphic novel DYING INSIDE with Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) and Hannah Klein through the Vault Comics music imprint, HEADSHELL.

https://www.lisasterle.com/
https://twitter.com/lisa_sterle
https://www.instagram.com/lisasterle/
https://linktr.ee/lisasterle

Der-shing Helmer is the Eisner-nominated and Ignatz-award winning independent science-fantasy and educational comic artist from the CA Bay Area, now based in the San Diego Area. Der-shing is currently the Managing Editor at Vault Comics. She is a self-taught artist, and has a biology degree from UC Berkeley as well as a formal background in secondary science education.