Prairie Gods, Spectrum, Monster Fun This Summer, The Body Trade, and Two New Annuals
Mad Cave Studios, Rebellion & the Treasury Of British Comics
The latest news and previews including:
A new mini-series from Mad Cave Studios.
A new series in Spectrum.
News on what’s coming from Monster Fun.
A new crime mini-series, The Body Trade.
And two new annuals to look forward to.
Mad Cave Studios has announced a new mini-series coming in September 2024 - Prairie Gods.
Shane Connery Volk takes a shake at his first creator-owned supernatural B-horror miniseries, featuring 5 strange stories and one ghost town to unite them
Coming soon from Mad Cave Studios, face the supernatural in the all-new miniseries, PRAIRIE GODS, featuring 5 new tales spiraling in adventure and B-horror by famed artist Shane Connery Volk (Nottingham)!
Prairie Gods is The Twilight Zone meets Sin City. Each self-contained issue centers on supernatural events and characters in and around the small prairie town of Broadacres. The series will resonate with fans of Hellboy, while the shifting genres and themes will appeal to fans of Westerns, crime, racecar movies, lost treasure serials, and war stories—with a dose of action throughout.
The first exhilarating story features Freddy Davis, a champion race car driver, who has returned home to Broadacres. He buys the abandoned speedway intending to race against its only undefeated driver: the Devil himself.
Future issues seamlessly weave terrifying revenants, aliens, and time travel into the Broadacres setting, expanding each chapter of this anthology series to serve a larger mythos and establish a captivating cast of characters.
“I love short stories, comic books, B-movies and rock’n’roll,” said Shane Connery Volk. “I put a little bit of everything into my first creator owned series, Prairie Gods! Action, Sci-fi, Westerns and Thrillers come together in a small prairie town with big supernatural secrets—and even bigger characters. It’s like a B movie marathon in comic book form. Coming soon to a comic shop near you!!
Unleash the Supernatural and bask in the horror. Cover A by Shane Connery Volk and cover B by Jason Shawn Alexander (Spawn, Killadelphia).
Prairie Gods #1 drops in shops Sept. 4th.
Also from Mad Cave Studios is a new series - Spectrum - with a preview below.
In this new Mad Cave series beyond space and time, music brings hopeful melancholy and connection with beautiful orchestration
From the avant-garde to the pop charts, the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.
Mad Cave Studios calls music fans from all walks for the exciting unveiling of the supernatural adventure SPECTRUM, written by Rick Quinn (Uncanny Valley, Spirit Drifters, The Negatives) with art by mystical comic auteur by Dave Chisholm (Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound).
Melody Parker is losing her mind. She’s living on the streets of Seattle during the WTO protests of 1999. She is seeing things. Androids. Aliens. Pigs in high fashion. And a creature named Echo—one of the Sustained: elemental beings with the power to alter reality through music. She invites Melody to join her as she brings about the end of the world. As Melody tries to escape this strange woman, suppressed memories from across vast spans of time flood into her awareness, bringing her very identity into question. You don't want to miss this stunning new release from writer Rick Quinn and music-comic-specialist Dave Chisholm (Miles Davis & the Search for the Sound).
"You know that part in ‘99 Problems’ where Jay-Z says ‘You crazy for this one, Rick’? That’s how I feel about Mad Cave agreeing to publish Spectrum,” said Rick Quinn. “This is not an ordinary comic book. It’s a story about art and madness, told in a kaleidoscopic style that spans the whole of the 20th century. Dave and I pushed ourselves to the absolute limits of our creativity, wanting to make something idiosyncratic and unconventional in every way that reader’s could get truly lost in."
“When Rick sent me the script for the first issue, I was floored!” said Dave Chisholm. I had to draw this book. It was like he read my mind. As a lifelong musician, comic creator, sci-fi fanatic, and obsessor of everything weird, strange, and uncanny, Spectrum had everything I would want in a book. It manages to be simultaneously heartfelt, experimental, cosmic, and personal. I wanted the visuals to follow suit, and so I pushed myself in every way. Each issue will surprise and wow readers. Needless to say: I'm really, really happy with how it turned out. We were both elated when Mad Cave Studios picked it up for publication!”
If The Sandman had a melody, mixed with The Invisibles and Echolands, dashed with a bit of Music is History by Questlove and Twin Peaks, there you’ll find Spectrum.
The six-issue series is set to release this November, beginning with Spectrum #1.
Rebellion has announced what they have coming in the summer from their Monster Fun line.
CHILDREN LOVE GRAPHIC NOVELS! THE CHILDREN’S READING REVOLUTION AND THE RISE OF MONSTER FUN!
A reading revolution has begun - children cannot get enough of comics and graphic novels. The Children’s Graphic Novel market is massively on the rise, with data from Nielsen for the Children’s Graphic Novel and Comic Strip category showing a 425% volume growth since 2019. Local bookshops and supermarkets have more graphic novels than ever lining the shelves of the children’s book section. We’ve even seen those responsible for fuelling this boom and change in Children’s reading interests recognised with awards; with writer and artist Jamie Smart winning Best Illustrated Children’s Book and Best Illustrator for Bunny Vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up at the British Book Awards 2024.
“These are terrifyingly great comics!”, says Jamie Smart on Monster Fun, which remains the UK’s newest Children’s comic, having launched in early 2022 and continuing to go from strength to strength, “Monster Fun is bursting with tall tales, hilarious oddballs and monstrously loud laughs. Highly recommended for readers of any age!” High praise indeed from the creator of the hugely successful Bunny Vs. Monkey series!
This Summer promises to be the biggest one yet for Monster Fun, with an incredible array of exciting news and releases. Perhaps the most exciting of all is the release of an action-packed June issue featuring four new strips which will continue on to be regular mainstays; Sir Render – the world’s most cowardly knight, Sally Astro -an alien girl discovering our planet Earth, the super funny Forest of Fear, and the first spin-off from popular strip Hire A Horror… get ready for The Fright Shift! These epic new strips will run alongside Monster Fun favourites such as Gums and Witch Vs Warlock, plus see the start of the HUGE Monster Fun Summer Drawing Competition. Titled “Me and My Monster” this competition gives young readers the chance to draw themselves and a creepy creation, with the winner getting to star in their very own comic strip produced by Monster Fun creators later on in the year.
If that wasn’t enough, to add some extra excitement to children’s reading this summer, Monster Fun launches its new range of graphic novels, the “Monster Fun Collection”, this July. Before schools break up for the Summer, Children can get their hands on the first two full-length graphic novels, starring characters from the comic. Steel Commando: No Time To Lose sees World War II robot hero Steel Commando travel across past, present, and future to defeat the forces of evil on an epic time-travel adventure, whilst The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright sees young Billy Farmer unlock his powers after being bitten by a radioactive leopard (these things happen, right?), uncover family secrets, and just maybe save his town from super villains intent on stopping him in his tracks. These two graphic novels arrive on shelves from 18th July, alongside a whole summer of promotion and activity from Monster Fun across the UK!
Children and parents can pick up the Monster Fun June Issue on shelves from the 5th June 2024, followed by the July and August issues on 3rd July 2024 and 7th August 2024 respectively. Available in the UK from selected WHSmiths, Morrisons, and One Stop stores – or at local newsagents. The brand new Monster Fun graphic novels, Steel Commando: No Time To Lose and The Leopard From Lime Street: Birthright, publish on 18th July 2024, and can be purchased now on Amazon or in the Monster Fun webstore; where back issues, international orders, and subscriptions to the comic can also be purchased.
More from Mad Cave Studios with a new mini-series coming called the Body Trade.
It's never too late for a bad person to do the right thing, even if it destroys you in the process…
Announcing the all new twisted crime series from Mad Cave Studios, THE BODY TRADE, by critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Project Riese, Breathed A Body), with inks by Argentinian artist Jok (Forty Coffins) and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Shanghai Red, Red Sonja); featuring cover B by Jacob Phillips (Houses of the Unholy).
Kim Krilic is a divorced ex-con who's trying to atone. However, his short temper tends to get the best of him. When he returns to Florida to bury his estranged son, he’s sickened to find an empty grave. His son’s remains were sold into “The Body Trade”. Armed with righteous fury, Kim sets out to reclaim his child’s corpse. But one act of vengeance causes everything to spiral out of control.
The Body Trade is an unrelenting revenge story set against the backdrop of America’s aftermarket for dead bodies. Critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Blow Away, Into The Unbeing) and star artist Jok (In Hell We Fight) team up for this neo-noir crime thriller rife with bloodshed and brutality, in the tradition of Blue Ruin and Hell or High Water!
“I’ve wanted to create this comic for years and collaborating with Jok is a dream,” said Zac Thompson. “Through his lines and colors he's built this incredible mood on the page that captures the gaudy excess of Florida balanced against the horrific stylings of an industry of death. Together we've created a story that's both a fierce revenge yarn and an interrogation into a seedy corporate underbelly of America. The Body Trade is a raw and unflinching neo-noir where an ex-convict goes up against the intense might of corporate power and will do anything to win. But what when there's nothing illegal about what you're up against—how do you expose the truth?! And will anyone care when you do?”
“When The Body Trade knocked at my door, I was working on some children and YA projects that required a light hearted style, gentle narrative and festive color palette,” said Jok. “Zac’s story needed quite the opposite, as it explored deeply dramatic themes, some gore and a heavy atmosphere. It's been a great pleasure to meet and work with Zac and the team. I hope readers get hooked by The Body Trade, as it combines elements I’ve enjoyed in other works of fiction such as True Detective, Thomas Harris novels and Scorsese’s movies. Zac is brilliant and I believe we share the same view and taste for these kinds of stories. We’ve both certainly put our hearts in this one.”
For fans of Vince Gilligan and Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, The Body Trade #1 busts out Sept. 18th, and is now available for preorder.
From Rebellion and the Treasury Of British Comics, two new annuals with web-exclusive covers are coming this Christmas.
After an absence of three decades, the first 2000 AD Annual of the 21st Century arrives in November – in plenty of time to make it under the tree – from all good comic book stores, as well as the 2000 AD webshop!This gorgeous hardcover collection will feature a mix of brand new and classic stories from top creators – including John Wagner (A History of Violence), Alan Grant (Batman), Simon Spurrier (Hellblazer, Coda), Dan Abnett (Warhammer 40k), Phil Winslade (Lawless), Fernando Blanco (Detective Comics), Ian Gibson (Halo Jones), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Mick McMahon (The Last American), and Emma Vieceli (Life Is Strange).
It will come in two editions with stunning new covers bringing a fresh twist to the annuals of yesteryear – the standard edition will feature a bold, contemporary ensemble of 2000 AD’s greatest heroes by breakout Judge Dredd and Rok of the Reds artist Jake Lynch (Judge Dredd), while the 2000 AD webshop-exclusive edition will have a special retro cover by the legendary Brian Bolland (Batman: The Killing Joke), drawing his first 2000 AD annual cover since 1983!And, due to popular demand, the 2000 AD Annual will be joined by a brand new Treasury of British Comics Annual!
Christmas just got Thrill-powered again – Rebellion is proud to announce the return of the 2000 AD Annual!
Last year’s sold out hardcover returns this November with three brand new stories from industry superstars, including Simon Furman (Transformers) and Mike Collins (Doctor Who) on Kelly's Eye, Alec Worley (Hook-Jaw) and Anna Morozova (Lowborn High) on Black Beth, and Paul Grist (Jack Staff) and Simon Williams (The HOFF: Heroes of Fearless Freedom) on Robot Archie.
Rebellion has delved in its vast archive to craft a selection of some of the greatest strips ever to appear in British comics – including Adam Eterno, Cursitor Doom, Stryker, and Major Eazy from such esteemed titles as, Scream!, Battle, Tiger, Valiant and Lion!
It too will come in two editions – the standard edition will feature a new cover by David Roach (Judge Anderson), while the Treasury of British Comics webshop-exclusive edition will be by Andreas Butzbach (The Thirteenth Floor).
After the runaway success of last year’s Treasury of British Comics Annual, these new hardcovers are bringing the proud tradition of annuals back with a vengeance for 2025 – guaranteeing maximum enjoyment this Christmas!
Matt Smith, editor of 2000 AD, said: “The 2000 AD Annual was the highlight of many a reader’s year, and often a staple Christmas present. In the past they’ve showcased some of the best stories to emerge from the House of Tharg, and I’m delighted to see the annual return, containing a mix of classic Thrills and bold new strips. I’m sure the 2025 edition will be top of every Earthlet’s list to Santa!”
Both weighing in at 112 pages, the 2000 AD Annual and Treasury of British Comics Annual for 2025 will be available from all good comic book stores in November, with order details appearing in August’s editions of Previews magazine.
They will also be available to pre-order from the 2000 AD and Treasury of British Comics webshops from Wednesday 19 June, with the standard editions alongside special webshop-exclusive editions featuring brand new covers from Brian Bolland and Andreas Butzbach.