Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special, Escape From New York: Escape From Chicago #1, Smile, and The Quiet Place
From IDW Publishing and Mad Cave Studios
Here are the latest comics news and previews, including:
A Halloween special from IDW Publishing.
A movie spinoff with Escape From New York: Escape From Chicago #1.
And horror from the Smile and The Quiet Place franchises.
Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special Brings New Blood to Woodbrook
It’s great to see a new issue of this series from IDW Dark – even if Halloween seems a long way away. I will be reading Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special.
The award-winning Patrick Horvath has been the definitive voice behind BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES, a cuddly yet shocking story which took the comic industry by storm and sold over 400k comics and collections as a franchise. The recently concluded sequel, BTTWNS: RITE OF SPRING, is in the running for the “Best Limited Series” Eisner Award, and now, Horvath’s inviting other acclaimed creators to take a stab at Samantha Strong’s bloody and beloved world in BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL.
Arriving this October, the Harvey Award-winning Horvath joins forces with superstar creators James Tynion IV (Exquisite Corpses) and Tyler Boss (You’ll Do Bad Things), Tony Fleecs (Feral) and Dave Wachter (Uncanny Valley), Che Grayson (Absolute Catwoman) and Matt Emmons (The Council of Frogs), and Jared Cullum (Usagi Yojimbo) to craft a must-read original one-shot featuring the adorable citizens of Woodbrook gathering around a campfire to share terrifying stories.
“I’m thrilled to invite some new friends to play for a bit in the world of BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES. Every new step this project has taken has been such a treat, and I felt like there’s no better time for it than Halloween. I can’t wait for readers to see what these new creators have in store for them.”
-Patrick Horvath
“BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES is one of my favorite comics of the past few years, and it’s a pleasure to be invited to have a bit of gruesome fun in this killer, off-kilter world Patrick has created.”
-James Tynion IV
“I was a BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES fan before almost anyone. I read a review copy before the first issue came out and haven’t stopped loudly singing its praises since. Patrick Horvath is working in a subgenera of a subgenre. He’s taking something familiar and comforting and adding outrageous violence and pathology and creating something wholly original. I couldn’t be more excited to come play in his sandbox. And that I’ve got the genius Dave Wachter here with me (co-creator of the Eisner Nominated Uncanny Valley) and we’re sharing the book with Patrick himself and James Tynion and Jared Cullum. This promises to be a beautifully disgusting comic.”
-Tony Fleecs
“BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES is equal parts charming, horrific and morbidly beautiful. Patrick is a visionary and what he has brought to comics and the horror genre is something truly singular. Getting to play in the proverbial sandbox for this Halloween special is going to be a real treat.”
-Che Grayson
“Patrick brings a poetic subtlety to an often intense story-world that only he can, with art that is both timeless and unique. The soft tonal palette, atmosphere and time-honored sacred traditional approach often juxtaposed against the darker, if sometimes profane imagery works so well for his stories and swallows you whole into his work. It’s an honor to have a chance to humbly play in his world.“
-Jared Cullum
“BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I absolutely adore it. Patrick Horvath has created something truly unique. And it really taps into the brainstems of those of us who grew up on Richard Scarry books. I love working with my brilliant friend Tony Fleecs, so when I was asked to draw a story in this world, there was no way I was going to say anything but ‘F* yeah!’ I can’t wait to draw something really creepy for this.”
-Dave Wachter
Contact a comic shop near you to pre-order BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL and guarantee your copy. BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES vol. 1 is currently available everywhere graphic novels are sold and the deluxe hardcover storybook edition is only available via IDW’s online shop. More news about the future of BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES will be revealed at San Diego Comic-Con.
Snake Plissken Returns This September
From Mad Cave Studios in September 2026 is a new movie spinoff with Escape From New York: Escape From Chicago #1.
Mad Cave Studios brings Snake Plissken back to comics this September with ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK: ESCAPE FROM CHICAGO, a new continuation series, expanding the world of John Carpenter's beloved 1981 cult-classic film.Written by Kyle Higgins (Radiant Black, No One) and illustrated by Val Rodrigues (The Pale Knight), the series sends one of pop culture's most iconic antiheroes into an all-new adventure packed with danger, violence, and the dystopian chaos that made Escape From New York a genre-defining classic.
Once you go in, you don't come out—unless your name is Snake Plissken! Plissken now survives as a coyote, smuggling people and contraband across the dangerous dead zones between prison territories like Chicago. It's a hard and bitter job. But when he's hired to extract a woman wanted by the city's warlord, Snake sees one more chance at redemption—or one more chance for the universe to kick his ass.
The debut issue features eight covers, including artwork by Stephen Mooney, Danica Brine, Dan Panosian, and Christian Ward, alongside a 1:10 virgin incentive cover by Mooney, a 1:20 incentive cover by Nick Bradshaw and Jim Charalampidis, a foil variant, and a blank sketch cover.
Reflecting on stepping into one of science fiction's most enduring worlds, Higgins said:
“Escape From New York is one of the films that taught me what genre storytelling could be—lean, mean, and built on a world you can't stop thinking about. Getting to write in Carpenter's Manhattan is the kind of thing my younger self wouldn't have believed. I can't wait for everyone to see Snake's next adventure.”
Rodrigues is equally excited by the opportunity to bring Snake Plissken back to comics:
“When I received the invitation to draw this project, I grabbed it with enthusiasm. Having the chance to draw such an iconic character from the movies by such a legendary movie director as John Carpenter is a fun and challenging task. Readers can expect the excitement of a Carpenter-style movie, with a distinctively absurd ’80s action skillfully adapted to the comics medium by Kyle’s writing, and that I’m doing my best to do justice with my linework.”
Fit for fans of the original Escape From New York films and beyond, this fresh take delivers high-stakes action, dystopian worldbuilding, and a return to one of science fiction's most enduring icons.
Escape From New York: Escape From Chicago #1 goes on sale September 23, 2026 (FOC August 24). Preorder a copy through your local comic shop or from Mad Cave directly.
Smile & A Quiet Place Expand Terrifying Worlds With IDW Dark
New horror is coming soon from IDW Dark – the horror imprint from IDW Publishing – with Any Given Smile and A Quiet Place: Rising Tides.
From the big screen into the pages of comics, IDW Dark is proud to present spine-chilling new chapters inspired by the hit Paramount Pictures horror franchises Smile and A Quiet Place.
Scaring comic shops this September is ANY GIVEN SMILE, a frightening five-issue story crafted by Eisner Award-nominated writer Stephanie Williams, GLAAD Media Award-winning artist Pablo Collar, and featuring colors by Triona Farrell and letters by Ariana Maher.
The year is 1995 and all eyes are on the American Arena League football championship game. The Sharks gear up for the most significant event in the AAL’s 20-year history, and their sudden-star backup quarterback is feeling the pressure from his teammates, his fans, and his debts to the city’s gambling underworld. A string of suicides hits the community hard, drawing a suspicious sports journalist deeper into that world to examine their connection to the big game. No one can trust anything or anyone as a mind-bending and mysterious Smile Entity and its horrifying visions threaten their payouts, their sanity, and their lives…
Shhhhh. Don’t make a sound this November when A QUIET PLACE: RISING TIDES crawls into comic shops. The tense and captivating five-issue thriller is created by the acclaimed duo of writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, featuring colorist Colin Craker and letterer Jodie Troutman.
When a young woman named Grace tracked down her estranged father to a run-down houseboat in the Florida Keys, she expected disappointment, resentment, maybe even closure. Instead, the entire world ended.
Now stranded in the aftermath of the invasion that shattered civilization, she and her sick, aging father cling to survival on the open water – the only space safe from the creatures who attack at the sound of a single breath. But his oxygen is running low, supplies are disappearing quickly, and the deadly predators circling the shoreline are learning fast. And on the horizon, a hurricane is coming.
ANY GIVEN SMILE and A QUIET PLACE: RISING TIDES are the latest additions to IDW Publishing’s hit horror imprint IDW DARK. The acclaimed line of comics includes beloved licensed properties like Event Horizon, The Twilight Zone, and Sleepy Hollow, as well as fan-favorite IDW originals like BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES, THE EXORCISM AT 1600 PENN, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, and more. The successful line of horror comics is spreading across IDW’s entire publishing line this October as well with IDW GOES DARK VARIANTS. Slither over to Fangoria for a first look at the creepy covers.
Just like buying tickets before going to the movie theater, fans should contact a comic shop near them to pre-order ANY GIVEN SMILE and A QUIET PLACE: RISING TIDES to guarantee their copies.