Oni Press has announced GameLad, the debut middle-grade graphic novel from Norm Grock. Perfect for fans of Trapped in a Video Game and The Last Kids on Earth, GameLad is a playful and boredom-busting story about leveling up and facing your fears—in stores April 2027!

When twelve-year-old Nessa moves to the town of Boring, Oregon, she expects everything to be, well, boring. If she can just hide away with her dad’s retro GameLad console and play her favorite video games, maybe things won’t be so bad. But Nessa’s plans take a sharp turn when the console screen is cracked and she has no idea how to get it fixed. That’s not all—strange things start happening all over town. Power-ups, gold coins, and all sorts of 8-bit pixel critters are popping up all over the place. When Nessa discovers that her favorite video games have escaped through her broken GameLad screen and invaded the town, she’ll have to do whatever it takes to collect the broken pieces and send everything back where it came from before Boring gets turned into a real-life video game for good. Joined by new friend Dani, a few lost video game characters, and her trusty gaming guide, Nessa will uncover the truth behind the GameLad console and its mysterious creator. But when she faces the final boss, defeating him won’t be as easy IRL as it is in the game…

Level up next spring when GameLad respawns in stores everywhere on April 14, 2027!