Leo Da Vinci: Renaissance Kid, Nexus Point, The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre and Barbarian Behind Bars
From Papercutz, Trevor Mueller, and Mad Cave Studios
My first convention as an exhibitor has just passed - excellent fun and some thoughts to come!
Here are the latest comics news and previews, including:
A new graphic novel from Papercutz.
The return of Nexus Point.
And two new mini-series from Mad Cave Studios.
The Secret Childhood of Leonardo da Vinci: Half-Artist, Half-Engineer, All Hero!
A fun-looking new graphic novel is coming from Papercutz, in Leo Da Vinci: Renaissance Kid.
After moving to Florence, young Leo da Vinci teams up with two unlikely friends to challenge corruption with art, pranks, and inventions—all before their world ends!
Papercutz, an imprint of Mad Cave Studios, proudly presents LEO DA VINCI: RENAISSANCE KID, a dazzling, full-color middle-grade adventure from award-winning writer Richard Ashley Hamilton (How to Train Your Dragon, Troll Hunters) and Italian illustrator Marco Matrone (Fearbook Club, Tectiv). This exciting historical romp re-imagines the world’s most iconic genius as a rebellious, prank-loving kid on a mission to prove that imagination can change the world!
Most people think of Leonardo da Vinci as some old guy who painted stuff hundreds of years ago—but even da Vinci was once a bold, troublemaking kid who craved adventure!
Young Leo spends his childhood exploring art (and creepy caves) while engineering fantastical machines of wonder in the freedom of his hometown...until his estranged dad drags Leo to an apprenticeship far away. Now our boy genius finds himself out of his depth and in a city on the brink of war! Fortunately, Leo also finds two new friends who will change his life forever. Together, they uncover a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire world, even if nobody believes them. So Leo must grab everyone’s attention the only way he knows how—with elaborate pranks that harness the true power of art to open eyes, change minds, and save the day.
“Leonardo da Vinci isn’t just one of my favorite artists—he’s one of my favorite people! Seeing his sketchbooks in person showed me the energy and inventiveness behind his genius,” said Author Richard Ashley Hamilton. “He used words and pictures to imagine things that didn’t (or couldn’t) exist, just like comics! The more I learned about da Vinci, the more I admired this left-handed, vegetarian, subversively funny, proudly gay, creative rebel. There’s something timeless and kinda punk about him, sort of like the Tony Stark of his era, who balances art and science, technology and humanity, all while poking fun at authority via some clever, borderline-illegal pranks. Imagine my surprise, then, when I shared these thoughts about Leo with my good friend, Marco Matrone, he said he felt the same way. Da Vinci is the hero we need right now, and I think he’d be a fan of this book.”
Illustrator and Co-Creator Marco Matrone added, “I’ve been fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci since I was a kid, and I’ve always felt a strong sense of connection and admiration for him. (Funnily enough, Leonardo was even my favorite Ninja Turtle!) So when Richard asked me to collaborate on a comic about Leonardo, I was thrilled. It felt like a chance to truly connect with him—to step into his world, and to use my own imagination and creativity to bring that world to life in a playful new way. I hope readers will feel the same sense of wonder and curiosity that Leonardo inspires in me—and maybe see that fantasy, creativity, and friendship can make any adventure possible.”
Leo Da Vinci: Renaissance Kid brings together the humor of Besties: Prank War, the adventure of Percy Jackson, and the historical intrigue of History Comics. It’s Sherlock Holmes meets Indiana Jones for the middle-grade set—an energetic, heart-forward romp for young readers, art lovers, and aspiring inventors alike.
Leo Da Vinci: Renaissance Kid (HC 9781545823743 | PB 9781545823750) hits bookstores, comic shops, and digital retailers April 14, 2026 (the day before Leonardo Da Vinci’s actual birthday!)
Nexus Point Returns Friday, Nov 21
From Trevor Mueller and over on Webtoons, Nexus Point is returning this week.
My first Webtoon Original series, NEXUS POINT, returns this week Friday, Nov 21. The series is a cyberpunk action series about hackers fighting bounty hunters - but that’s an over-simplification.
At the heart of the story is a young hacker named Gemi Reynolds, who is starting her new job at the largest tech company in the world. During her first exercise, she discovers a file she was never meant to see - and now she’s being hunted by crooked cops, rogue hackers, bloodthirsty bounty hunters, and a mysterious military organization.
The only person who can keep her safe is Jack Travis, a former detective turned bounty hunter, whose own mysterious past is tied into the file she’s found.
These Hippos Are Hungry… For Blood.
A crazy-looking new mini-series is coming soon from Mad Cave Studios with a tale of The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre.
Welcome to the glorious wreckage of a D.A.R.E. PSA gone wrong.
This winter, Mad Cave Studios unleashes THE FLORIDA HIPPOPOTAMUS COCAINE MASSACRE—a four-issue, synth-drenched action-comedy from writer Fred Kennedy (Dead Romans, Assassin’s Creed: Power), with art, colors, and letters by James Edward Clark (Evil Comics, Tales to Enlighten), and a variant cover B by Italian comics superstar Mirka Andolfo (Sweet Paprika).
Disco Hippo Wonderland is the number one amusement park in Flamingo City. But few realize its corpulent owner, Jans M’jor Discau, is about to release the most potent drug ever created: Coke45! Fortunately for humanity, Agent Clarke Nebraska is on the case! She’ll bring down Discau come heck or high water! That was the plan, until her undercover agent, Tico Senecoza, was captured! And before she can rescue him, Miquel—Tico’s sexy loose cannon of an older brother beats her to the punch, storming into the park with bullets flying. Discau panics, dumping the Coke45 into the hippo enclosure and letting them loose on the park, before fleeing into Wonderland’s tunnel network! Nebraska’s plans are totally off the rails, and things get worse when a marijuana smoke-fueled hurricane drowns the park in torrential rain! Now it’s up to Nebraska and Miquel to create an uncomfortable truce to bring Discau down before he escapes!
“I am kind of shocked this book happened…not that I don’t think it’s good,” said Fred Kennedy. “I think it’s amazing! But more because we don’t get much silly these days. This book is silly, VERY silly. And I don’t think there’s ever been a greater need for silly.”
Artist James Edward Clark added, “I’d like to commend Fred and Mad Cave’s bravery in seeing this project through to fruition. Together, I hope to open the public’s eyes to the very real and imminent danger posed to the public by nature’s most vile, disgusting, hateful abomination: The Hippopotamus!”
From the cocaine-splattered corridors of Flamingo City to the rain-soaked tunnels of Hippo-Disco Wonderland, The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre is a fever dream of over-the-top violence, slapstick humor, and Reagan-era paranoia—where every explosion comes with a punchline, and every hippo deserves an Oscar!
Fans of Head Lopper, Minor Threats, The Goon, Naked Gun, and Hot Shots: Part Deux will devour this blood-splattered, ‘80s-infused satire that asks one timeless question: what happens when you give cocaine to a hippopotamus?
Don’t miss your chance to witness the birth of the LASER DRUG FORCE, the government’s most unhinged anti-narcotics task force! c hits comic shops on February 18, 2026, with FOC on January 26, 2026.
On his world, he was a legend—in ours, he’s fresh fish!
Another new mini-series from Mad Cave Studios with Barbarian Behind Bars!
When the smoke clears and the dust settles, one barbarian finds himself in a place no sword can save him from: prison…
This February, Mad Cave Studios is proud to present BARBARIAN BEHIND BARS—a five-issue prison-action-fantasy miniseries that throws high adventure and hard time into the same cell. From writer Elliott Kalan (Maniac of New York, Spider-Man & the X-Men) and artist Andrea Mutti (Batman Eternal, DMZ), with letters by award-winning letterer Taylor Esposito (Constantine, Batman ’66), this brutal genre mash-up drops readers into a world where muscle meets bureaucracy and magic meets maximum security.
Who is the mysterious, musclebound warrior who came to our world in a storm of magic and violence?! That’s what public defender Irene Chang wants to know. This guy came out of nowhere, doesn’t speak English, and now she’s supposed to help him beat a murder charge after he chopped some other weird dude’s head off with a magic axe in broad daylight? Of course, he may not live to go to trial, with all the enemies he’s making in prison. Good thing his cellmate grills a mean cheese sandwich. BARBARIAN BEHIND BARS is the fight-packed fantasy prison thriller you didn’t know you needed.
Series writer Elliott Kalan said, “I couldn’t be more excited to unleash Barbarian Behind Bars on an unsuspecting world! We’ve taken two of my loves, sword-and-sorcery fantasy and grimy, pulp B-movie mayhem, and slammed them together into—of all things—an affirmation of the importance of friendship and human connection. I hope readers are thrilled, disgusted, entertained, and ultimately inspired by the Barbarian’s quest. It’s a tale of spiritual fulfillment, bare-knuckle violence, and the best damn grilled cheese sandwiches in this or any dimension.”
“DARCOR is a warrior from a remote, alien, and barbaric world... Once he arrives on Earth, he realizes that the two worlds, his and ours, are not so different after all,” said Andrea Mutti. “The reader will be drawn into an adventure that will touch on universal themes such as friendship, courage, love, hate, and greed...we will be forced to reflect on the common and universal characteristics of being human, and Barbarian Behind Bars is a rich and adventurous metaphor for the world we live in. Reality, once again, is never black or white, but gray...very nuanced...are you ready for this journey?”
Barbarian Behind Bars melds high-fantasy spectacle with cynical prison-yard grit. It’s what happens when you drop a mythic hero into the concrete jungle—and let the sparks fly!
Barbarian Behind Bars #1 arrives February 11, 2026, with FOC on January 19, 2026. Subsequent issues will be released monthly through June 2026. Preorder through your favorite local comic shop, digital retailer, or directly from Mad Cave!
