For some time now, DC’s Sandman Universe books have been featuring a fan-favorite character in the background, slowly building out a mystery that will finally take center stage this summer. What is the secret behind Madison Flynn’s death — and what makes Thessaly the only person able to uncover the truth? James Tynion IV and Maria Llovet have the answers in the upcoming The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly.

A 40-page one-off issue, Thessaly sees the long-standing Sandman character — who debuted in 1991’s The Sandman #32, the first chapter of the A Game of You storyline — take center stage for the first time in almost two decades, following the conclusion of 2004’s Thessaly: Witch for Hire miniseries. She’s hardly been relaxing for all that time; she’s been a part of the Sandman Universe books since the conclusion of the first volume of Tynion’s Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country series, including appearances in the current Sandman Universe: Dead Boy Detectives series. All of which has been leading up to… well, this.

DC’s official description of the issue reads, “The immortal witch Thessaly is no stranger to dead ends. But she’s won the hearts of gods and beings more powerful than gods, and persistence has always been her strong suit. Following her scheming machinations in Nightmare Country and Dead Boy Detectives, Thessaly is more determined than ever to suss out the seemingly impenetrable mystery surrounding the death of Madison Flynn. To do that, she’s going to have to get close to the source material—close enough to magic herself into the job of screenwriter on Madison Flynn’s biopic. But she’s going to need a little help to keep the gig…perhaps from one of those Muses the King of Dreams told her about long ago…The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly reunites Nightmare Country visionary James Tynion IV with star Faithless artist Maria Llovet to take you on a journey through the festering darkness pulsating beneath Hollywood’s glitz and glamour!”

here is a look at The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly #1's main cover by Reiko Murakami, as well as variants from Skylar Patridge and Jasmin Darnell:

The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly #1 will be released July 11.

Dead Boy Detectives writer Pornsak Pichetshote talks about the Dead Boy Detectives right here.