Vault Comics: Kid Maroon, LitRPG & Godfather Of Hell
A Vault Comics round-up!
Vault Comics has been busy lately, and here is a selection of their latest news including a new Kid Maroon series, a new addition to Vault Books, and some new variant covers!
Vault Comics teased this online, and here are some more details on Kid Maroon’s return!
Vault is honored to unveil Kid Maroon, the stunning new neo-noir comic series based on the storied 1940’s comic strip created by the legendary cartoonist, Pep Shepard. The new Kid Maroon series will be written by Christopher Cantwell (Halt and Catch Fire, Iron Man, Doctor Doom), drawn by Victor Santos (Polar, Violent Love), colored by Mattia Iacono (Kid Venom, The Dead Lucky), lettered by Andworld Design (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr), and designed by Adam Cahoon (The Nasty).
Originally created by Shepard in 1944, the daily Kid Maroon comic strip focused on a hard-boiled boy detective who investigates horrendous crimes in his hometown of “Crimeville”. The series quickly attracted significant controversy, as the stories drew on Shepard’s nihilistic outlook, penchant for violence, and obsession with bathtub laudanum. The backlash against the series, coupled with the rising tides of the Comics Code, led to the strip’s cancellation after just 216 episodes. This caused Shepard to become completely disaffected with the comic book medium, and he would go on to bury all his original art in what is believed to be a field in South Dakota, location unknown. Despite all of this, Kid Maroon became a tremendous cult hit that has inspired underground and independent comics ever since.
Vault’s Kid Maroon series will mark the first time in 75 years that comics only hard-boiled boy-detective will see print.
“I’ve been wanting to write a Kid Maroon story for years upon years now,” said Cantwell. “Because Kid Maroon feels like me. It’s funny because I remember being a kid and how I couldn’t wait to grow up. Every day I feel like I grew up too fast. I often wish I could go back. Kid faces that same struggle in our book. Sure, his world is laden with pulp gangsters and killers, but he’s very much a child. This was always the undercurrent of the original Kid Maroon strips that Pep Shepard did. Sure, sometimes Pep occasionally had Kid rail against characters like Captain Pinko and write diatribes against Sales Tax, but at his best, those stories were always about a boy caught between worlds, his innocence always fragile, at risk of being shattered. That is the core of our book through and through."
"I must confess I did not know the existence of the character Kid Maroon, but as soon as I started investigating it was love at first sight,” added Santos. “That wild boy was a compact version of The Spirit, Dick Tracy, and I don't know how many other pre-code pulp heroes. But at the same time he was everything I would have wanted to be when I was a brat, sneaking into my uncle's room to read those crime comics which were supposed to be too violent for a kid to read. I couldn’t wait to take this awesome character and draw him into new adventures."
Kid Maroon will debut with a stunning double-length first issue that will hit store shelves in November 2024. The full synopsis for Kid Maroon #1 can be read below:
Back in print for the first time in over 75 years in a stunning double-length issue #1... the world's only hard-boiled boy detective - KID MAROON. From Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man, Doctor Doom, The Blue Flame, Halt and Catch Fire) and Victor Santos (Polar, Violent Love)!
Two years ago, Walden Maroon outgrew his small town, his loving parents, and the low stakes mysteries involving missing butterflies and stolen cookies. Since then, he's dwelled within the cesspit of Crimeville, where murders, vice, and corruption are the city's bread and butter. But at 12 years old, Kid is weary. When a string of horrific killings and arsons spring up in the streets, can he crack the case with his quick wits and slingshot? Or does Kid Maroon secretly yearn for what he's never gotten to be... a kid?
Readers are encouraged to learn more about Pep Shepard at www.rememberingpep.com.
Vault Books have added some new titles with LitRPG leading the way.
Expanding their ongoing publishing partnership, Vault Comics and Aethon Books will bring four internationally popular LitRPG titles to bookstores for the first time in the light novel format. The initial slate includes The Primal Hunter by Zogarth, with all new art by Senchiro, My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror by Actus, with all new art by Kisaragipana, to be released in October of 2024, with Mark of the Fool, by J.M. Clarke, and The Path of Ascension, by C. Mantis to follow in the spring of 2025.
The titles will be released under Vault’s new Vault Books imprint in partnership with Aethon Books. Additional titles under this imprint will soon be announced.
One of the bestselling LitRPG series of all time, The Primal Hunter has sold more than one million audiobooks and ebooks, and amassed more than ten million reads across Webtoon and Royal Road. On just another average day, Jake finds himself in a forest filled with monsters, dangers, and opportunity.... It was a day like any other when suddenly the world changed. The universe reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A place where power is the only thing anyone can truly rely on. Jake, a seemingly average office worker, finds himself thrust into this new world, into a tutorial filled with dangers and opportunities and a new reality that should breed fear and concern, leaving his fellow coworkers faltering at every turn. Jake, however, finds himself thriving leaving him to believe that perhaps this is the world he was meant to be born in. The Primal Hunter is a system apocalypse LitRPG with levels, classes, professions, skills, dungeons, loot, and all of the great traits of progression fantasy and LitRPG that you've come to love and expect. Follow Jake as he explores this new vast multiverse filled with challenges and opportunities. As he grows in power and slowly transforms from a bored office worker to a true apex hunter.
My Best Friend Is An Eldritch Horror is a humorous academy progression fantasy series, with more than sixty thousand ebooks and audiobooks sold, and more than one hundred thousand reads on Royal Road, coming to bookstores as a light novel for the very first time. When he was a child, Damien Vale nearly ended the world, but now his mistake might be the only thing that can save it. Good things come to those who wait — but Damien didn’t and he ended up bound to an Eldritch creature from beyond the reaches of space. It has lived since the dawn of time, seen the world born and destroyed countless times, and wants to be called Henry. Unusual companion or not, Damien was still determined to go to a mage college and study magic. He wants nothing more than to live a normal life as a researcher, but if Henry’s true nature is revealed, he’ll be killed. To top it all off, Damien’s teacher is a madman from the front lines of war, his alcoholic dean suspects something is awry with his companion, and Blackmist might possibly be the worst school in history. Damien has to prevent the end of the world, but he isn’t even sure he’s going to make it through Year One at Blackmist.
“These series are some of my favorite fantasy works I’ve read in recent years, but they’re conspicuously absent from bookstores everywhere. Naturally, we had to fix that,” said Vault CEO, Damian Wassel. “It’s a privilege to work with Aethon Books to introduce a whole new group of fans to these incredible novels. I have no doubt folks will get hooked. But fear not. We have plans to bring lots more LitRPG to bookstores in the coming months and years.”
“There’s a huge global audience for LitRPG novels, but we know there are more readers out there just waiting to discover their favorite LitRPG adventure,” said Rhett C. Bruno, Aethon Books CEO. “Alongside Vault, we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring some of our favorite books to bookstore everywhere.”
Der-shing Helmer, Managing Editor at Vault and editor of the new LitRPG collection said, “I'm so excited about our upcoming slate of LitRPG Light Novel collaborations between Vault and Aethon creators. In merging these two genres, we placed emphasis on respecting the original diehard fans of these exceptional progression fantasy webnovels while bringing thoughtful embellishments and dynamic illustrated storytelling that Light Novel audiences have come to expect. Our illustrators have a wealth of experience in manga-style artistry, with several working with us directly from Japan...a perfect fit for the character-driven and action-packed storytelling that defines Aethon's LitRPG titles.
Another academy adventure series, Mark of the Fool has sold more that four hundred thousand ebooks and audiobooks, and amassed more than five million reads on Royal Road.
The gods chose him. He said no. After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry, but fate had other plans. On his eighteenth birthday, Alex is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is 'The Fool.’ The worst of the marks. Rather than die or serve other Heroes like past Fools, he takes a stand, rejects divine decrees—and leaves. With his little sister, his childhood friend, and her cerberus, Alex flees for the university, hoping to research the mystery of the Ravener. He’ll make lifelong friends, learn magic from mad wizards, practice alchemy, fight mana vampires, and try to pay tuition. But there’s one small problem. The Mark insists on preventing the Fool from learning and casting spells, while enhancing skills outside of divinity, combat, and spellcraft…that is, unless he learns to exploit the hell out of it. Explore a coming-of-age magic academy fantasy with a weak-to-strong progression into power, a setting inspired by D&D, detailed world building, full of magical science, action, comedy, and lots of cooking and other slice-of-life moments.
With more than three hundred thousand ebooks and audiobooks sold, and over six million views on Royal Road, The Path of Ascension is a cosmic progression fantasy blending classic dungeon crawls with elements of Xianxia-style fantasy.
Orphaned by monsters, Matt must power-up to save others from the same fate. Even as he plans to delve into the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents, Matt’s dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental and no guild or group will take him. Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple who give him a chance to join the Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends. With their recommendation and a stolen Skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power and maybe then he can get vengeance he seeks. Experience the start of an action-packed fantasy adventure that blends the best of LitRPG and Progression Fantasy with Xianxia (Chinese for “immortal heroes” and is Chinese fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology).
This incredible collection of LitRPG light novels from the powerhouse collaboration of Vault Books and Aethon Books will invite new fans aboard these incredible adventures, while offering longtime fans a whole new entry into their favorite stories and creators. Available in stores and online, The Primal Hunter Vol. 1 by Zogarth and My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror Vol. 1 by Actus will be released in October 2025, with The Mark of the Fool Vol. 1 by J.M. Clarke and The Path of Ascension Vol. 1 by C. Mantis to be released in the Spring 2025 season.
Taking on the gangster theme, Vault Comics have revealed a selection of variant covers for Godfather Of Hell.
Vault has announced the full line of incredible of crime film movie poster homage variants for Godfather of Hell #1. The star studded lineup of cover artists include Joshua Hixson (The Deviant, The Plot), Nathan Gooden (Barbaric), Jacob Phillips (Houses of the Unholy, Reckless, Newburn), Chris Shehan (House of Slaughter), Conor Boyle (Judge Dredd), and Corin Howell (Lilith). Each variant in the line features stellar design work by Tim Daniel and Adam Cahoon.
Each variant will pay tribute to a different legendary movie poster for some of the greatest crime films of all time. Below is the full list of artists and their movie poster homages:
Nathan Gooden homages Pulp Fiction
Conor Boyle homages The Godfather
Joshua Hixson homages Reservoir Dogs
Chris Shehan homages Scarface
Corin Howell homages Boondock Saints
Jacob Phillops homages Goodfellas
The highly anticipated GODFATHER OF HELL is a dark and thrilling new supernatural crime series written by Star Wars: The High Republic writer and New York Times Bestseller Cavan Scott, drawn by Bram Stoker Award-winning artist Pius Bak (Eat the Rich, The Magicians), colored by Raúl Angulo (Sera and the Royal Stars), lettered by Andworld Design, and designed by Tim Daniel.
In GODFATHER OF HELL, Dario Santini has lived a charmed life as an enforcer and debt collector for mob boss Niccolò Mechini. He’s had it all: respect, power, even the love of a good woman. But everything changes when he crosses a line and is shot dead on the sidewalk. Waking up in Hell, Dario faces a future of pain and suffering… unless he can turn eternal damnation into a business opportunity.
GODFATHER OF HELL #1 will hit store shelves October 2024. The title information can be read below:
GODFATHER OF HELL
Writer: Cavan Scott
Artist: Pius Bak
Colorist: Raúl Angulo
Letterer: Andworld Design
Designers: Tim Daniel & Adam Cahoon
Cover A: Pius Bak
Cover B: Nathan Gooden, Pulp Fiction Homage
Cover C: Conor Boyle, The Godfather Homage
Cover D: Joshua Hixson, Reservoir Dogs Homage
Cover E: Chris Shehan, Scarface Homage
Cover F: Corin Howell, Boondock Saints Homage
Cover G: Jacob Phillips, Goodfellas Homage
On Sale: 10/9/2024
Synopsis: Dario Santini has lived a charmed life as an enforcer and debt collector for mob boss Niccolò Mechini. He’s had it all: respect, power, even the love of a good woman. But everything changes when he crosses a line and is shot dead on the sidewalk.
Waking up in Hell, Dario faces a future of pain and suffering… unless he can turn eternal damnation into a business opportunity. Neo-noir hellfire from New York Times Bestseller Cavan Scott (Star Wars: The High Republic, Shadow Service, Dead Seas) and Bram Stoker Award-winning artist Pius Bak (Eat the Rich, The Magicians, Stranger Things).
