Tag Archives: francesco francavilla

Exclusive: Steve Niles’ Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories gets Joe Jusko and Cat Stagg Lithographs and Stickers

Legendary horror writer and 30 Days of Night co-creator Steve Niles’ iconic paranormal detective Cal McDonald’s hard boiled adventures have captivated fans since his first appearance in the 1990 story “Big Head.” Cal McDonald has seen it all. Vampires, werewolves, ghouls, demons, mutants, maniacs, and every other thing that crawls out of the dark. Niles is revisiting his gruesome gumshoe in Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories, a collection of short stories.

Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories features a foreword by acclaimed actor and horror creator David Dastmalchian and a stunning painted cover by master illustrator Joe Jusko. Published by Clover Press’ The Fourth Leaf, a new imprint for creator-owned comics, books and graphic novels, this 216-page hardcover will collect ten brand-new Cal McDonald stories, each with an illustration by a different beloved comic artist. Fans can support the project on Kickstarter.

In the tradition of Mickey Spillane and Rymond Chandler, Niles sends Cal and his undead sidekick on a strange journey through a Los Angeles populated by monsters, freaks, ghouls, and all kinds of new creatures hell-bent on causing chaos.

Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories will feature gorgeous chapter illustrations by an incredible lineup of artists, including Cat Staggs, Liam Sharp, Scott Morse, Christopher Mitten, Gyula Nemeth, Steven Russell Black, Francesco Francavilla, Alison Sampson, and Damien Worm, each adding their own signature style to Cal McDonald’s world of hard-boiled horror.

In addition to the illustrated hardcover book, the Kickstarter campaign for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories, we can exclusively reveal that Clover Press is creating exclusive Lithographs and a sticker featuring Joe Jusko’s cover art and a beautiful colored version of Cat Staggs’ illustration from the book.

Check them out below and don’t miss Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories on Kickstarter!

  • A dramatic scene featuring a woman in a green dress sitting on a desk holding a vintage telephone, while a man in a white shirt points a gun and another man in a suit stands behind, with a spooky background visible through a large window.
  • A silhouette of a man lighting a cigarette in front of a large, intensely red skull illustration against a dark background.
  • A silhouette of a man lighting a cigarette in front of a large red skull, set against a black background with a circular red border.
  • Book cover illustration featuring a woman in a green dress sitting on a desk with a vintage telephone, a man in a suit standing beside her, and another man in casual attire seated, holding a bottle. The background shows eerie figures visible through a window.

Vampirella and Sabrina the Teenage Witch Cross Paths This Winter!

It’s a vampire weekend! Two spooky icons cross paths in a historic crossover this December to heat up fans’ pull lists. Dynamite Entertainment and Archie Comics are proud to announce Sabrina the Teenage Witch X Vampirella, with critically acclaimed author Tini Howard at the helm in her Dynamite debut!

Sabrina Spellman is only half witch. Unlike the others in her coven, she still craves a mortal summer vacation with all its comfy accoutrements. When her aunts make her dream come true, with the stipulation that she has to do some house-sitting, everyone’s favorite teenage sorceress (and her adorable cat Salem!) finds herself kicking back in an idyllic beachside town. First and foremost on her mind is hiding her magic from a gaggle of nosy neighbors. But one such neighbor is not quite like the others…

Vampirella is only half vampire. The descendant of Drakulon finds herself torn between two worlds, human expectations of her vampire visage, and her at times competing impulses of heroism and survival. When a new challenge rises on her radar, she can sense the perfect ally. This young witch’s magic could come in handy, and the two will set off on a thrilling and historic fable!

Celebrated scribe Tini Howard is no stranger to some of the most iconic women in comics, with fan-favorite runs on Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Excalibur, and the recently concluded Sirens: Love Hurts. This isn’t her first rodeo with the Daughter of Drakulon either. The preeminent, beloved bloodsucking queen of comics appeared as a crossover guest in Hack/Slash: Resurrection, an early breakout hit for Howard.

A veritable magician’s assistant in the creative team, artist duo Bill Galvan and Ben Galvan illustrate this tale. With decades of experience drawing the generationally cherished cast of Archie Comics, they’re the perfect fit to bring Vampirella into this world and matching Howard’s fun approach.

In celebrating both these icons of the 1960s and beyond, the perfectly paired creative team is joined by a legion of spellbinding covers by creators associated with both sides of the team-up as well as evoking their classic imagery. Eric Powell, Francesco Francavilla, Sebastián Píriz, and Mike Rooth all contribute classics. Interior artists Bill and Ben Galvan cooks up a stunning homage to a classic with his cover. Collectors can also opt for an exciting mystery blind bag, packed with rare variants on these and other surprises.

Don’t miss out on any of the magic mayhem from this pair of comics powerhouses crafted by a stellar creative team!

  • A comic book cover featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch smiling and holding a black cat, surrounded by colorful magical swirls and stars, with Vampirolle in a striking red and black costume in the background.
  • Cover art of 'Sabrina: The Teenage Witch vs. Vampirella' comic featuring Sabrina, a young witch with a light green complexion and short white hair, looking surprised alongside her black cat. In the background, Vampirella is depicted in a red costume with bat wings against a starry sky.
  • Comic book cover featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Vampirella. Sabrina is flying on a broomstick with a determined expression, while Vampirella hovers above her, dressed in a red costume. The background includes a sign reading 'Greendale' and bats flying in the sky.
  • A cartoon scene depicting a classroom with bookshelves, where a girl is reading a fashion magazine by a window with light streaming in.
  • A comic panel featuring a wizardly man in a blue cloak and a winged woman in a red outfit, surrounded by mystical books and artifacts. The man appears to be receiving a magical object from a hand in the top panel, while the woman looks concerned. Other panels show her holding a device and two characters observing a mysterious glowing object.
  • A comic panel featuring a woman with wings looking surprised at a glowing green substance.
  • A comic strip featuring three characters: two witches and a girl, interacting in a kitchen with a black cat.
  • Cover of 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' and 'Vampirella' comic featuring a powerful female character with striking features, holding a smaller character resembling Sabrina with a black cat. Intricate magical symbols surround them.
  • Comic book cover featuring characters Sabrina and Vampirella, with Sabrina carrying a woman in a swimsuit. The background shows a dark, eerie setting with a full moon reflecting on water.
  • Comic book cover featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Vampirella, with a vibrant background of bats and a sign for Greendale. Text indicating it's Issue 1 and a Premium Mystery Variant Blind Bag.

La Mancha this December with a Tale of Horror by Christopher Sebela, Ibrahim Moustafa, Brad Simpson, and Joe Sabino

This December, Mad Cave Studios presents a new six-issue horror comic series, La Mancha. Written by Christopher Sebela, illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa, colored by Brad Simpson, and lettered by Joe Sabino; La Manch reimagines one of literature’s most iconic stories as a brutal, darkly funny tale of obsession, identity and the danger of believing your own legend.

In an era between the age of knights and modern life sits Don Quixote, a man whose love of that bygone era sends him on a bloody spree of mayhem across the land of La Mancha to save the world. With a reluctant assistant, Sancho Panza, at his side, the delusional knight leaves a trail of bodies behind him and tilts at windmills in search of an evil enchanter, dedicating it all to the object of his storybook delusion — Dulcinea del Toboso. Dulcinea, a farm girl working to keep her family’s farm alive, is forced to leave her life behind and take up arms to stop this murderous stranger and defend the one thing that she truly owns: her name.

For fans of twisted takes on classic literary figures like Mad Cave’s critically acclaimed Nottingham, La Mancha #1 brings a stacked lineup of variant covers from industry veterans Jacob Phillips, Phil Hester, and Francesco Francavilla.

La Mancha #1 will be available wherever comics are sold on December 16, 2026 (FOC November 23). 

  • Cover of the comic book 'La Mancha', featuring a silhouetted figure wearing a large hat with glowing eyes, riding a brown horse. The background shows flames and smoke, creating a dramatic atmosphere. The title is prominently displayed at the top in bold yellow letters.
  • Cover art for 'La Mancha' comic book featuring a woman holding a sword in front of a large, shadowy figure of a man with a mustache and cowboy hat, with a dramatic blue and orange color scheme.
  • Cover art for 'La Mancha' #1 featuring a silhouetted figure on a horse holding a spear against a fiery background, surrounded by ghostly figures.
  • Cover art for the comic book "La Mancha" featuring a close-up of a man's and a woman's faces against a vibrant orange and red background.
  • A stylized illustration of a man with a beard and a woman, both looking upward, against a vibrant orange and yellow background.

Afterlife With Archie ordered for Disney+ with a Halloween 2027 Premiere

Afterlife With Archie #1

Afterlife With Archie is getting a new life as an hourlong drama series airing on Disney+. The series is based on the unfinished series by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. It will debut Halloween 2027 and comes nine months after the series received a script-to-series commitment.

In Afterlife With Archie, a spell backfires unleashing the undead upon Riverdale forcing Archie and his friends to fight to stay alive along with the Riverdale drama.

The series debuted in 2013 and ran for ten issues. The series was never completed with the final issue having been released in August 2016. The series was expected to run for twelve issues but Aguirre-Sacasa has said in October 2025 that that issues #11 and #12 have been written and issue #13 was being plotted. No issues have been released since then with no announcements made by Archie as far as the future of the series.

A series, Archie in Hell, has been revealed as part of Oni Press’ new initiative with Archie Comics. It’s unknown if Afterlife With Archie will ever continue or be completed or the impact of the new Oni deal regarding that. The publisher is also dealing with legal woes regarding loans and other media deals making it a very strange future for the company.

White Boat #3 wraps up the series focusing on the motivation of the super rich

White Boat #3

After learning the dark secrets of the mysterious island, Lee is left to decide if he wants to join these cosmic cultists or make a break for freedom. But when he’s unwilling to leave his metamorphic monster of a brother behind, he will make a fateful decision that might save their necks but doom the entire planet! White Boat #3 is an intriguing finale that feels like a mix of aspiration, condemnation, and monster horror.

White Boat has been an interesting series, a solid concept that feels like it’s far more complicated than it needs to be. Written by Scott Snyder, the series follows a reporter who has been trying to find out about White Boats, mega-yachts that the super-rich use. After finally being able to explore one, he was kidnapped and brought to a remote island. There we find out about a rich society, a cult that has existed for millennia working on “The Human Project.” Their goal is to bring about paradise, but as we learn in White Boat #3, their goal is a bit sinister underneath.

The series has had a mix of ideas behind it, a little Jurassic Park, a little Jim Jones, a little The Prisoner, it’s been an ever expanding mystery. White Boat #3 brings things together as Lee learns the truth of it all and has to make a decision if he wants to risk everything or live his life with the brother he thought he loss.

At its heart, White Boat #3 shines a spotlight on a story of the super-rich whose entire motivation is what benefits themselves, and themselves only. It brings the real world debate we have about the ultra wealthy and the hoarding of not just their money but their focus on only enriching themselves further instead of benefiting society as a whole. It’s a worthy concept to discuss and explore, and unfortunately it’s touched upon as motivation instead of a major discussion in the finale. There are some flaws in that finale beyond that. Lee takes what he’s told without any exploration or examination to see if claims are real. It’s a leap that needed to be justified in some other way to really understand Lee’s internal debate as to what to do. The issue about have been helped by adding a few more pages to flesh that and more out, decrease a slight choppiness, including an ending that feels like it’s a bit rushed to wrap things up nicely when a more nebulous and open ending could have been more interesting.

Francesco Francavilla‘s art is solid as expected. With color by Francavilla and lettering by Andworld Design, the comic has the horror/monster vibe that Francavilla shines. There’s some great panels and moments of coldness in the characters’ expressions or abject terror that drives home the situation. Overall, the art feels like it mines more classic monster horror than anything else, especially when things begin to unravel into chaos.

White Boat #3 is an interesting finale that wraps things up but overall feels a little rushed. It could have benefited from a fourth issue or at least an expanded third issue to flesh out some moments, motivations, and the actual ending. As is, it’s entertaining and has some great ideas and an interesting theme underneath, but it’s not the strongest release from this creative team.

Story: Scott Snyder Art: Francesco Francavilla
Color: Francesco Francavilla Letters: Andworld Design
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

DSTLRY provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Purchase: Zeus Comics – Third Eye Comics

Preview: The Art of Star Trek & Defiant

The Art of Star Trek & Defiant

Angel Unzueta; Mike Feehan; Ramon Rosanas, Marcus To

You’ve read the series, now revel in the art that brought to life the critically acclaimed and award-winning Star Trek and Defiant comic series!

Star Trek and Defiant have woven a story consisting of 65 issues’ worth of comics into one interconnected epic. This art book gives you an in-depth look into what made it all possible, focusing on cover art, concept art, and final interior art. Also included are interviews with a select number of artists talking about their process and what makes Star Trek special for them.

Artists include Ramon Rosanas, Francesco Francavilla, Declan Shalvey, Rachael Stott, Malachi Ward, JK Woodward, Liana Kangas, Ángel Unzueta, Angel Hernandez, Marcus To, Megan Levens, and more. In total, over 65 artists are highlighted for their contributions to the series!

The Art of Star Trek & Defiant

Preview: Archie x Army of Darkness #5

Archie x Army of Darkness #5

Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist: Bill Galvan
Covers: Francesco Francavilla (A), Bill Galvan (B), Laura Braga (C), Craig Cermak (D), Stuart Sayger (E)
FC | All Cardstock Covers | 32 pages | Horror / Humor | $4.99 | Teen+

The big finale is here! Archie and the gang have one last shot at stopping the invading Army of Darkness, and they’ll need to read from the Necronomicon ex Mortis to do it, and that means counteracting the book’s evil mojo with some concentrated goodness! We won’t hold out on you – the forces of good will triumph over the forces of evil, somehow – but you’re going to have to get your own copy of Archie x The Army of Darkness #5 to find out exactly how. Come get some!

Archie x Army of Darkness #5

Early Review: White Boat #3 wraps up the series focusing on the motivation of the super rich

White Boat #3

After learning the dark secrets of the mysterious island, Lee is left to decide if he wants to join these cosmic cultists or make a break for freedom. But when he’s unwilling to leave his metamorphic monster of a brother behind, he will make a fateful decision that might save their necks but doom the entire planet! White Boat #3 is an intriguing finale that feels like a mix of aspiration, condemnation, and monster horror.

White Boat has been an interesting series, a solid concept that feels like it’s far more complicated than it needs to be. Written by Scott Snyder, the series follows a reporter who has been trying to find out about White Boats, mega-yachts that the super-rich use. After finally being able to explore one, he was kidnapped and brought to a remote island. There we find out about a rich society, a cult that has existed for millennia working on “The Human Project.” Their goal is to bring about paradise, but as we learn in White Boat #3, their goal is a bit sinister underneath.

The series has had a mix of ideas behind it, a little Jurassic Park, a little Jim Jones, a little The Prisoner, it’s been an ever expanding mystery. White Boat #3 brings things together as Lee learns the truth of it all and has to make a decision if he wants to risk everything or live his life with the brother he thought he loss.

At its heart, White Boat #3 shines a spotlight on a story of the super-rich whose entire motivation is what benefits themselves, and themselves only. It brings the real world debate we have about the ultra wealthy and the hoarding of not just their money but their focus on only enriching themselves further instead of benefiting society as a whole. It’s a worthy concept to discuss and explore, and unfortunately it’s touched upon as motivation instead of a major discussion in the finale. There are some flaws in that finale beyond that. Lee takes what he’s told without any exploration or examination to see if claims are real. It’s a leap that needed to be justified in some other way to really understand Lee’s internal debate as to what to do. The issue about have been helped by adding a few more pages to flesh that and more out, decrease a slight choppiness, including an ending that feels like it’s a bit rushed to wrap things up nicely when a more nebulous and open ending could have been more interesting.

Francesco Francavilla‘s art is solid as expected. With color by Francavilla and lettering by Andworld Design, the comic has the horror/monster vibe that Francavilla shines. There’s some great panels and moments of coldness in the characters’ expressions or abject terror that drives home the situation. Overall, the art feels like it mines more classic monster horror than anything else, especially when things begin to unravel into chaos.

White Boat #3 is an interesting finale that wraps things up but overall feels a little rushed. It could have benefited from a fourth issue or at least an expanded third issue to flesh out some moments, motivations, and the actual ending. As is, it’s entertaining and has some great ideas and an interesting theme underneath, but it’s not the strongest release from this creative team.

Story: Scott Snyder Art: Francesco Francavilla
Color: Francesco Francavilla Letters: Andworld Design
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

DSTLRY provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Pre-Order: Third Eye Comics

Preview: Archie x Army of Darkness #4

Archie x Army of Darkness #4

Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist: Bill Galvan
Covers: Francesco Francavilla (A), Bill Galvan (B), Laura Braga (C), Craig Cermak (D), Stuart Sayger (E)
FC | All Cardstock Covers | 32 pages | Horror / Humor | $4.99 | Teen

The forces of evil need Archie Andrews alive to fully open the gates to hell for the Army of Darkness, but Archie is protected by Ash, who’s an old hand at dispatching the average Deadite. Needing a new strategy, Ash’s evil counterpart creates some new Deadite doppelgangers to help him reach his goal. It’s Bad Betty, Vile Veronica, Rotten Reggie, a Jughead doppelganger so evil there’s no alliteration that could do him justice, and, of course, ARCHIE OF DARKNESS! Can these five new Deadites tip the scales? Find out in the penultimate chapter of Archie x The Army of Darkness!

Archie x Army of Darkness #4

Horror awaits in Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft

Dark Horse Comics and Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast present Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft, a new four-issue genre-bending comic series that will unite Rudolph van Richten’s protégés from across the horrifying domains of Ravenloft. The miniseries is written by Bram Stoker Award–winning author Amy Chu, with line art by Ariela Kristantina, colors by Arif Prianto, and letters by Haley Rose-Lyon. Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft #1 will feature cover art by Guillem March, Riley Rossmo, Francesco Francavilla, Todor Hristov, and Angela Wu.

Ravenloft is falling apart, and nobody knows why. Fortunately, monster hunter Ez D’Avenir is on the case! She’s searching the frozen wasteland of Lamordia for an undead creature that may hold the key to Ravenloft’s fate. But when Darklord Viktra Mordenheim catches wind of her quest, Ez is suddenly the one being hunted!

Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft #1 (of 4) will be available in comic shops on August 19, 2026. It is now available for preorder from your local comic shop for $4.99.

« Older Entries