We are excited to reveal the first details for The Last Wardens, a new horror comic book series co-written by Elliott Sperl and Amit Tishler! With the first issue due out on June 17th from Mad Cave Studios, the supernatural crime drama promises to deliver gritty, grindhouse-style horror, while subverting expectations over the course of the six-issue miniseries. Along with a look at two covers from the first issue, we have details direct from Mad Cave Studios and the creative team on the horrors that await readers this summer:
America, 1975. Where the scare sets in, a story unfolds.
Mad Cave Studios is excited to announce the thrilling new supernatural horror series, The Last Wardens, co-written by Elliot Sperl (Bob’s Burgers, The Great North) and Amit Tishler (Edenfrost) with art by Rui Silveira (The Few and Cursed), colors by Francesco Segala and lettered by Frank Cvetkovic.
In this six-issue miniseries, delve into a world of emotional depth, suspense, and classic horror. The Last Wardens combines the thrill of grindhouse with the intricate storytelling of modern epics to subvert expectations, blending chaotic violence with complex emotional drama!
With an alcoholic father and a hole in her wallet, Danielle Pryer’s life in the rustic town of Bleakwood goes from bad to worse when her long-lost brother, Bruce, returns from the Vietnam War. While Bruce is being plagued by a mysterious and monstrous mutation he is also being hunted by an incompetent team of paranormal misfits, which leads to Bleakwood quickly becoming ground zero of a supernatural battle that forces Danielle to choose between everything she holds dear and the fate of the world as a whole.
“The Last Wardens is a sheep in wolf’s clothing,” said Amit Tishler. “It’s designed to subvert expectations! The setting, atmosphere, and visual style are clearly inspired by classic horror films, but the story’s lore, setting, and structure are more akin to modern epics. In The Last Wardens, chaotic violence clashes with complex emotional drama, as the comic explores the theme of FAILURE, and how to chew it up, spit it out and ask for seconds. The series is the brainchild of a creative collaboration between Elliot and me, and despite differing in tone from personal works, it has all the elements I love in a story: historical fiction, supernatural elements, a slowly unraveling mystery…and some ridiculous amount of gore.”
“I’m a huge fan of ‘Rubber Monster Suit’ horror movies, and creating a comic that harkens back to the VHS-era has been a blast! But packing references into The Last Wardens was never the end goal, EVERY design choice in this series is intentional,” said Elliott Sperl. “For example, the 1970s setting plays a major role in our cast’s journeys, skills and the tools they have at their disposal. But the story wouldn’t pack half the punches if it wasn’t told through the lens of our POV character. Danielle Pryer is the heart and soul of this story, and the heartbreaking choices she’s forced to make are what turn this mayhem-fueled adventure into something that readers can connect with on a deeper level.”
“When I received the script, I was hooked by the atmosphere of adventure and terror and its unique characters and their conflicts,” said Rui Silveira. “They are normal people in a desperate situation, all in a 1970s country town setting, bringing that feeling of films like Army of Darkness and series like Tales from the Crypt. I am sure that readers will follow the unfolding of this story and will be surprised.”
An emotionally gritty horror set apart from other works in the genre, The Last Wardens #1 drops June 17th.
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Cover A Artist: Zach Howard
Cover B Artist: Skylar Patridge