51, Disney 101 Dalmatians: Penny’s Big Splash, Dick Tracy: St. Patrick’s Day Special & Vassalord
From Mad Cave Studios, Papercutz, and Tokyopop
This close to Christmas, and there are still more comics being announced, along with comics news, including:
A new series for 2026 from Mad Cave Studios.
More animated action with Disney 101 Dalmatians: Penny’s Big Splash.
Looking ahead with the Dick Tracy: St. Patrick’s Day Special.
And a new omnibus from Tokyopop.
He broke America’s biggest secret, now he has to fix it.
A new, fun-looking series from Mad Cave Studios is coming in 2026. Check out the details of 51.
When every conspiracy is true, the real disaster is who’s in charge.
Mad Cave Studios is proud to announce 51, a wicked new sci-fi satire from writer Curt Pires (You’ve Been Cancelled), with art and colors Jok (The Body Trade), letters by three-time Ringo nominee Micah Myers, and featuring a striking Cover B by Michael Avon Oeming (Galaxy of Madness).
What if all the secrets housed in AREA 51 leaked out into the world? Who would be responsible for that mess? And who would be responsible for cleaning it up? After the President’s screw-up son, Harvey, gets in trouble with the law, his dad calls in a favor and gets him assigned to the real-life Area 51—Hangar 51. But it’s not the thrill ride the conspiracy theorists would have you believe. Harvey spends most of his days cataloging items he’s forbidden from even looking at.
That all changes when Harvey and his coworkers decide to throw a rager and wake up from their bender to find that every single item from Hangar 51 has been stolen. Now in the deepest trouble of his life, Harvey and his ragtag crew must go out into the world and put the genie back in the bottle—capturing rogue aliens, stolen superpower formulas, experimental energy weapons, and all manner of impossible objects. And as they hunt each piece down, a darker truth begins to surface: who actually broke into Hangar 51… and what do they plan to do with what they took? Writer Curt Pires and artist Jok take you on a trip like you’ve never been to explore a conspiracy theory you won’t ever believe!
Fast, profane, and darkly hilarious, 51 rips into conspiracy culture, political rot, and the dangerous people left holding the country’s secrets together with duct tape…
“I have to say that 51 was a long time coming,” said Curt Pires. “I’m thrilled to be bringing this madcap science fiction odyssey to life with Jok and my friends at Mad Cave!”
“Working on this project has been a blast!” said Jok. “Curt masterfully blends action, buddy-comedy energy, adventure, sci-fi, and mystery into a thriller that feels entirely its own, reframing familiar tropes in sharp, unexpected ways and grounding them in a well-defined cast who keep the witty dialogue flying. If you love flawed but lovable characters, rancid conspiracies, strange MacGuffins, and a touch of political incorrectness, this is absolutely your book. Welcome to our not-so-secret warehouse!”
Pires blends high-octane sci-fi, political absurdity, and a surprisingly emotional core into a story about found family inside a broken machine, the weight of inherited expectations, and the sins, personal and national, that refuse to stay buried.
For fans of The Boys, The Manhattan Projects, 8 Billion Genies, Peacemaker, and Don’t Look Up, 51 detonates a world where alien tech, weaponized belief, and government secrets collide spectacularly.
51 #1 is on sale March 11, 2026, with FOC on February 16. Preorder through your local comic shop before it’s too late!
A Lake Day Adventure Turns into a Lesson in Courage
Disney has a new Dalmatian adventure in Disney 101 Dalmatians: Penny’s Big Splash, published by Papercutz.
Papercutz, the acclaimed kids’ comics imprint of Mad Cave Studios, in partnership with Disney, invites young readers to dive into another delightful adventure with DISNEY 101 DALMATIANS: PENNY’S BIG SPLASH. Written by Arianna Irwin (Mean Girls: Senior Year) and illustrated by Agnes Garbowska (My Little Pony, Care Bears), with colors by Sil Brys and letters by Chas! Pangburn, this heartwarming story brings back the beloved spotted pups for a new lakeside escapade full of fun, friendship, and courage.
The Colonel and Pongo are about to take Lucky, Rolly, and Penny out for a day at the lake! Before they leave, Sergeant Tibbs tells the Dalmatian pups a story of a serpentine monster hiding in the depths of the lake. Lucky and Rolly laugh off the story, but Penny grows more scared the closer to the lake they get. Lucky and Rolly, on the other hand, continue to grow more excited and encourage Penny to be brave.
“101 Dalmatians is a Disney classic, so I am super excited to be sharing another adventure with Penny, Lucky, and Rolly,” said writer Arianna Irwin. “I hope that our young readers will get a little inspired to face their fears and find some fun in the process.”
“I was so excited to be working on this story with Penny, Lucky, and Rolly,” added illustrator Agnes Garbowska. “I grew up watching 101 Dalmatians, and it quickly became one of my favorite movies. What makes it even more significant for me is that it also helped me learn to read and write in English. In this story, Penny also learns something very important to her, and I hope fans not only have fun reading this book, but are also encouraged to learn.”
Perfect for fans of classic Disney stories, Disney 101 Dalmatians: Penny’s Big Splash captures the warmth and heart that generations of readers love.
Disney 101 Dalmatians: Penny’s Big Splash (Hardcover, 40 pages, Ages 6-9, $14.99, ISBN 9781545820797) hits shelves March 17, 2026, available wherever books and comics are sold, as well as through Papercutz and Simon & Schuster.
When luck turns deadly, Tracy fights to stay one step ahead.
We’re not even at Christmas yet, and Mad Cave Studios is looking towards March with the Dick Tracy: St. Patrick’s Day Special.
This March, Mad Cave Studios, in partnership with Tribune Content Agency and New Wave Comics, invites readers back into the hard-boiled world of Dick Tracy for a festive one-shot gone green with chaos, criminal mischief, and the sharpest jawline in comics history. DICK TRACY: ST. PATRICK’S DAY SPECIAL drops the legendary detective into a holiday caper where luck runs out fast, and the city’s most infamous crooks are feeling extra bold.
Written by the series own Alex Segura and Michael Moreci, featuring a guest spot from Tim Seeley (Bloodletter), with art by Craig Cermak (Archie x Army of Darkness) and Rebekah Isaacs (Rick and Morty Unity), colors by Mark Englert and Marissa Louise, and letters by Patrick Brosseau, this standalone one-shot special leans into everything fans love about Dick Tracy: the clipped banter, the iconic rogues, the sucker-punch twists, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Cover A by Geraldo Borges with Mark Englert, Cover B by Jacob Phillips (Forever Forward).
DICK TRACY’S LUCK RUNS OUT in this special St. Patrick’s Day-themed one-shot. When a masked vigilante starts taking out some of the City’s wealthiest - and most corrupt - citizens, Tracy and Sam must solve the crime while putting aside their own feelings. Can the new partners crack the mystery while trying to stay alive? From the team that brought you last year’s acclaimed and bestselling DICK TRACY HALLOWEEN SPECIAL! Plus, what’s a lovelorn Acres O’Reilly to do? Can she finally shed her bad luck and get the opportunity for happiness she so deserves?
Alex Segura is thrilled about the one-shot: "Michael and I love adding to the complex and established Dick Tracy lore, and these holiday specials provide a perfect opportunity! We're going to introduce a killer new villain with strong ties to what's come before, and present Tracy and Sam together as partners for a case that is haunting and hopefully thought-provoking! Craig's the perfect partner, and we're so lucky to be working with him on this.”
"Bringing Tim and Rebekah into the fold is such a treat, and their story is fantastic,” said Michael Moreci. “It's just a thrill to keep Dick Tracy alive while finding new voices and new stories--and what Alex and I have cooked up is something I'm very excited about. It might be our most powerful effort yet!"
Tim Seeley added, “Dick Tracy, as managed by Mike and Alex, is a sort of modern-day Eisner’s spirit, wherein the titular character acts as a tour guide for a quirky and wonderful world full of great characters. I got to work with one of my favorite collaborators, Rebekah Isaacs, on 9-foot cab driver Acre O’Reily, a big-hearted Irish-American having a terrible St. Patrick’s Day.”
For fans of classic hardboiled detective stories, evergreen newspaper strip nostalgia, and anyone who loves holiday specials with bite, Dick Tracy: St. Patrick’s Day Special blends the grit of The Untouchables with the celebratory chaos of a city that parties a little too hard. Perfect for long-time Tracy devotees and new readers looking for a sharp, punchy entry point into the franchise.
Dick Tracy: St. Patrick’s Day Special hits shelves March 11, 2026, FOC on February 16. Visit your local comic shop to preorder.
TOKYOPOP Announces VASSALORD Deluxe Manga Omnibus Editions
A new manga omnibus to look forward to in the autumn of 2026 from Tokyopop with Vassalord.
Publisher TOKYOPOP delights manga readers and action-adventure fans as it announces the release of deluxe omnibus manga editions for VASSALORD in the Fall of 2026.
The first 2 volumes of the manga series by Nanae Chrono will be published in soft and hardcover editions that blend action, supernatural, and boys’ love elements. The story follows a complex relationship between a playboy vampire and his cyborg vampire hunter servant who works for the Vatican. Their crime-fighting adventures are complicated by the pair’s intense, often flirtatious dynamic. The series was originally serialized in Japan in Comic Blade Avarus magazine.
Charley, a cyborg vampire who does the Vatican’s dirty work, is the thrall of the local vampire playboy Johnny Rayflo. As the two of them fight crime–and each other–hilarity, violence and sacrilege ensue! But can Charley resist his own desperate cravings for blood? Find out as the devilish duo go up against a childlike vampire princess, a mysterious branch of the Unitarian Church…and each other.
Manga creator Nanae Chrono is known for creating series such as VASSALORD and Peace Maker Kurogane and drew acclaim starting in 2000 with her debut work, Call Me Princess. Her art style is characterized by dynamic character designs and detailed illustrations, and her storytelling often involves historical settings, supernatural action, and samurai themes.
Solid roundup of upcoming releases. The 51 premise is pretty clever tbh, basically taking the Area 51 conspiracy genre and flipping it into a workplace comedy about catastrophic incompetence. I actually picked up the Dick Tracy Halloween special last year and the writing was tighter than expected for holiday one-shots. It's intresting how Mad Cave keeps expanding the Dick Tracy universe with these seasonal specials while maintaning the hardboiled tone. Also always cool to see Tokyopop bringing back older titles in deluxe formats, tho I haven't read Vassalord before.