Exclusive: Meet the Cast of Ill Vacation by Steve Thompson and Gonzalo Ruggieri
Steve Thompson and Gonzalo Ruggieri make their comixology Originals debut with their first long form original graphic novel, Ill Vacation, a psychological thriller set in the South Pacific in the 1940s. Written by Thompson with captivating art by Ruggieri, letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and edits by Rebecca Stone, Ill Vacation debuts digitally on June 17, 2025.
Told over the course of four chapters, Ill Vacation follows protagonists Bob and Mary, two young soldiers who want to help their country and its war effort. When they volunteer to take an experimental drug and are left behind to defend an island in the Pacific, things take a terrible turn. Instead of negating their fears, it turns their past trauma and nightmares into reality. Now, strange lights appear in a blood-red sky, a giant eye floats in the air and unearthly creatures emerge from the sea to haunt them inside an ever-growing maelstrom of terror. Can they survive?
Ruggieri deftly illustrates the fear, confusion, and unease of the protagonists and creates an atmospheric and dreamlike setting that is palpable throughout the story. As we learn of the personal tragedies affecting Mary and Bob, what we see is through their eyes—sometimes it is what’s really there and sometimes it’s an illusion.
Check out this exclusive look at the cast of Ill Vacation as well as a preview and get your copy when it debuts this Tuesday!
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