2023 has been an incredible year for horror comics, but 2024 is already looking to take it to the next level. Mad Cave Studios has had a year of some truly spectacular horror books hitting the shelves nearly every month. But next year, they're taking us deep into the forests of Montana, where there is no hope of escaping the horrors that lie hidden in the dark, in the new series Morning Star.
Morning Star is a sci-fi/horror series co-written by Tim Daniel and David' DB' Andry (Resonant, End After End, Denizen) with art by Marco Finnegan (007, Where We Live); colors by Jason Wordie (First Knife, Rogues) and letters by Justin Birch. The series is inspired by the works of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg and is set to explore the trauma that can come from loss but keeps the hope that can come from one's own imagination. From the synopsis below, it sounds like the series will be quite an interesting approach to a story set in the wilderness.
1956. Kootenai National Forest, Montana. When smokejumper Nathan Garrett perishes in a raging wildfire, his surviving family's hopes and happiness turn to ashes.
Now, one year following Nathan's death, wife, and mother of two, Jolene Garrett, takes her crumbling family to the Morning Star lookout seeking solace through closure--to scatter her husband's remains. But something far beyond the reach of their wildest imaginings awaits the Garrett family in the Montana wilderness--something more powerful than their anguish and torment. Something that transcends space and time. No telephones. No electricity. No transportation. No escape.
David "DB" Andry had this to say on the series "When Tim brought Morning Star to me, the bones of which were firmly in place, I immediately connected to the story, it brought me back to watching E.T. in the theater, seeing this family confronting impossible events. And how the kids saw it differently from the adults. That mystery can be both terrifying and wonderful. That is the vibe we tried to bring to Morning Star. How hope and imagination can guide you through grief to a better place on the other side. That family, however you define it, can be a lighthouse through dark times."
The series is said to be a love letter to the kids and families as well as the movies they loved growing up. Tim Daniel and David "DB" Andry are coming hot off their last series Denizen, which served as a callback to the late-night double features that horror is so well known for. As a writing pair, they showed off how well they can balance the horrors of dealing with change but never losing sight of humanity, which only makes this book sound more like a surefire hit.
"When Tim told me about the project I knew right away it was something I wanted to work on,: said Jason Wordie. "The story and artwork really allowed for a chance to do something different with the colors. I was free to experiment, mimicking some old-school comic techniques while mixing in a modern twist."
Morning Star #1 drops March 2024. Cover A by Marco Finnegan and Jason Wordie, cover B by Skylar Patridge. Announcements for even more titles are coming soon, but in the meantime, drop by www.madcavestudios.com for news, preorders, and more!
