The Exorcism at 1600 Penn #[nn]

History

Irish actress and writer Hannah Rose May conceived the premise around the time of Joe Biden's 2020 election, when, as she has explained in multiple interviews, the Irish-Catholic excitement over an Irish Catholic entering the White House sent her thoughts spiraling from Catholicism directly to exorcisms — and from there to the title, which came to her almost fully formed. She had already established herself as a creator-owned voice with Rogues' Gallery and had written work-for-hire scripts for DC (Harley Quinn) and IDW (Star Trek: Lower Decks) before pitching this series. May's dream collaborator from the start was artist Vanesa Del Rey, whose previous pairing with Eisner Award-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire on the horror series Redlands gave IDW Group Editor Heather Antos confidence the visual team could deliver the atmospheric dread the script demanded; letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou rounded out the creative quartet. The series launched on October 16, 2024 — timed deliberately to the Halloween season — and ran four issues through March 26, 2025, before being collected in a trade paperback and a limited-edition signed hardcover.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Publisher and format: Four-issue limited series from IDW Publishing (issues #1–4), released October 2024 – March 2025; rated Mature.
• Creative team: Written by Hannah Rose May; art by Vanesa Del Rey; colors by Eisner Award-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire; letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou; Group Editor Heather Antos.
• Central character debut: Kelly Doyle, a fictional first female President of the United States, is introduced in issue #1 along with her two teenage children, Kevin and Mara, and the demonic entity calling itself 'The Purifier' that possesses Mara.
• Concept origin: May has stated publicly that the idea was sparked around Biden's 2020 election, when Irish Catholic enthusiasm led her from thoughts of Catholicism to exorcisms, and then to the title and premise of placing a demonic possession inside the White House.
• Narrative tension: The series deliberately plays on real-world anxiety about 'Havana Syndrome' as a rational counter-explanation for Mara's episodes, keeping readers uncertain whether the threat is supernatural or geopolitical until the finale.
• Film adaptation: Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster announced development of a feature film based on the series in January 2026, with Jason Blum producing.
• Sequel and expanded universe: A follow-on series, The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace (written by Kelsey Ramsay and Hannah Rose May), was announced for IDW Dark with a trade paperback release slated for November 2026.
• Issue #1 variant landscape: The debut issue launched with multiple retailer-exclusive and incentive covers, including a 1:10 Stephanie Hans variant, a Jock Cover B, a Vanesa Del Rey foil Cover C, and a NYCC 2024 Jock Foil Virgin variant, among others.