Pretty Hate Machine, Groupies, Disney Science in Comics, and Is Ted OK?
From Mad Cave Studios and Papercutz,
New upcoming comics and news, including:
Horror and science fiction series from Mad Cave Studios.
Education in Disney Science in Comics.
Grief makes monsters of us all.
Dark horror from Mad Cave Studios with Pretty Hate Machine coming soon.
Revenge runs in the family…
Mad Cave Studios is proud to announce its latest horror mystery series, PRETTY HATE MACHINE, a familiar tragedy unraveling in decaying rural America. Co-written by acclaimed writer, actor, producer, and director Ryan O'Nan (Winders) and celebrated comics writer Tim Seeley (Nightwing, Bloodletter), with art by Hank La Marca (The Christbearer), colors by Berlin-based illustrator Roman Stevens (Absolute Batman), and letters by Dave Sharpe (Circus Maximus). Featuring issue #1 covers by Todor Hristov and Michael Gaydos, with a retailer incentive cover by Rod Reis.
Thomas is in so much pain. As if high school wasn’t hard enough, when his father is killed in a freak accident, and his mother begins to take refuge in the company of his uncle, Thomas is visited by a ghoulish kid named Luther with knives for hands and rows of teeth like an ancient shark who tells Thomas his father was murdered and that anything his mother and uncle tell him is a lie. Thomas doesn’t know who or what to believe. Does he believe his friends, teachers, and mother, who tell him grief isn’t for the faint of heart, but it will pass? Or does he believe the demented Luther who pulls Thomas through a bloody whirlwind of conspiracies, vengeance, and slaughter, showing him the lies and corruption that surround him? Thomas must fight to discover the truth behind his father’s death, while struggling to keep his new friend from leaving a massacre in his wake. But that “truth” might be far more sinister than Thomas is prepared for…
Ryan O’Nan spoke to his first foray into comics: “I wanted to write a dark love letter to the scrappy young man who somehow survived the 1990’s. A time when a kid could truly get lost—when you grew up in violent spurts while no one was watching. Where the world felt cruel but honest. A boiling pot of love, and friendship, and family, and bad influences, and secret dreams, and misguided, incredible adventures. Pretty Hate Machine is a father/son story. It’s about generational trauma. But mostly it’s about the horror of growing up, and all the skin we shed, or that gets flayed off us, along the way. And when I think of horror comics, I think of Tim Seeley. I couldn’t feel more excited or honored to be creating this dark ’90s pop song with him. Such a scary, fun dream.”
“I don't know a lot of handsome, creative AND twisted people, but Ryan is all three,” added Tim Seeley. “Pretty Hate Machine is pulled straight from his brain, and I'm happy to be along for the collaborative comics ride. It's personal, and demented, and beautiful in equal measures.”
“Anger makes you blind, but a demon teaches you how to use it,” said Hank La Marca. “Luther has razor-sharp teeth, but I drew him with real emotions. Growing up in the early ’90s means facing evil without looking away. This story isn’t scary because of monsters—it’s scary because of what you’ll see in yourself.”
With art and a vibe steeped heavily in grunge horror, Pretty Hate Machine is a murder mystery that leaves slaughter in its wake, echoing the corrosive teen nihilism of Heathers, a nod to True Detective, and the enveloping and surreal aesthetic of The City of Lost Children.
Pretty Hate Machine #1 is on sale April 8, 2026, with FOC on March 16.
Rock and roll never killed anyone—until now.
A preview of the upcoming horror, Groupies, from Mad Cave Studios.
They weren’t chasing the band. They were chasing something real.This February, Mad Cave Studios is bringing the lurid, slasher-tinted horror graphic novel GROUPIES to print for the very first time. From celebrated filmmaker and writer Helen Mullane (Nicnevin and the Bloody Queen, Lifeforms) and Eisner-winning artist Tula Lotay (Somna, Barnstormers, Supreme: Blue Rose), with electrifying color from Dee Cunniffe (Crossover, Redneck) and sharp, era-perfect lettering from Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith; Groupies is inspired by real-life interviews with teenage girls in 1970s fanzines, shattering the male gaze with a shifting point-of-view narrative that lets each girl tell her own story.
On a wild night out at the Fox Club, the coolest, hottest, and wildest girls on (or off) the Strip meet the edgiest up-and-coming band in town, and sparks fly. The Moon Show’s stardom is about to rise as they celebrate getting signed to the legendary Asmodeus Records. As the story unfolds, the excited groupies head on tour with the band—living the dream—but their tuned-in and dropped-out idyll is about to unravel. Something dark is pulling the strings, and the girls are about to discover the true cost of rock and roll.
Groupies hits comic shops and bookstores on February 10, 2026. Preorder it today so you don’t miss the tour bus.
Papercutz Presents: Disney Science in Comics!
Papercutz has teamed up with Disney to bring some educational comics.
Papercutz, the acclaimed children’s comics imprint of Mad Cave Studios in partnership with Disney, is proud to announce Disney Science in Comics, a new middle-grade graphic novel line that brings real science to life through some of Disney’s most beloved characters.
Launching throughout 2026 in paperback and hardcover editions, the inaugural titles of the line include: Disney Science Comics: Age of the Dinosaurs (May 26), Disney Science Comics: Life in the Seas (June 3), Disney Science Comics: Cities of Tomorrow (July 7), and Disney Science Comics: Galaxies and Planets (August 4). Each title is backed by its own dedicated team of scientists, blending accurate scientific concepts with character-driven adventures designed to spark curiosity, make complex topics accessible, and invite young readers to explore and question beyond their wildest imaginations.
From Rex to Nemo, Judy Hopps, and Big Hero 6, readers will embark on action-packed adventures filled with learning and discovery they won’t want to miss!
Inviting young readers to learn alongside the Disney characters they love, this thrilling lineup of brand-new books blends entertainment with education, turning science into an exciting, accessible adventure across Earth, space, cities, and time. Perfect for classrooms, libraries, and curious readers, all titles will be available in hardcover ($29.99) and paperback ($19.99) formats. These unforgettable comics can be found wherever books are sold, as well as through Papercutz and Simon & Schuster.
In a World Built to Isolate You, Connection is the Most Dangerous Act.
Coming in February from Mad Cave Studios is a new science fiction series - Is Ted OK?
Is human connection possible in our paranoid world?This February, Mad Cave Studios launches IS TED OK?, a daring, emotionally charged sci-fi thriller from award-winning cartoonist and musician Dave Chisholm (Spectrum, Miles Davis & The Search for the Sound). Blending the paranoia of Severance, the scale and strangeness of Akira, and the narrative daring of Mind MGMT and Department of Truth—every issue peels back layers of surveillance, corporate manipulation, mysterious threats, while never losing its emotional core: the human desire for connection in a society engineered to sever it.
This is a story about Ted and Sarah. Ted, isolated and paranoid, works for a mega-corporation owned by the world’s only trillionaire. He suffers from night terrors, obsessively draws the same mysterious figures again and again, all while listening to one track of music on repeat–oh, and the only “person” he ever talks to is a stray cat. His humanity is hanging by a thread.
Sarah is a new arrival to the city, fighting her own demons, and her job is to remotely spy on Ted to ensure he doesn’t hurt anyone…or himself. When Ted’s mental state begins to crack, Sarah compassionately intervenes to help, and things go catastrophically wrong.
Is Ted OK? #1 lands in comic shops February 25, 2026, with FOC on February 2, 2026. Preorder it today from your LCS or directly from Mad Cave.
