Hotblood! Vol. 2: The Valley of Kings

(W) Toril Orlesky (A) Toril Orlesky

Hotblood! Vol. 2: The Valley of Kings is a reimagining of the 2017 hit webcomic Zarco – a story about grief, crime that pays, and a desperate chase up the Pacific Coast.

Welcome back to the red days of the West, where centaurs and humans coexist and nothing good lasts. When two bodies turn up in the ashes of a burned homestead, one lawman picks up a trail that leads its bloody way back to Asa and Rook.

Nine years after the events of Hotblood! Vol 1: The Land of Promise, Evander Rook is a centaur on the run. When his trail leads to two unidentifiable corpses in a burned-down house, it’s the job of US Marshal Zarco to bring him in – dead or alive. But as he gets closer to his quarry, what started as a routine investigation will lead Zarco to the edge of everything he’s ever known.

Following the release of Hotblood! Vol. 1: The Land of Promise and creator Toril Orlesky’s 2026 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award nomination, Mad Cave Studios welcomes readers back to the world of Hotblood!. Written, illustrated, and lettered by Orlesky, Hotblood! Vol. 2: The Valley of Kings continues the acclaimed reimagining of the 2017 hit webcomic Zarco—a story about grief, crime that pays, and a desperate chase up the Pacific Coast.

Welcome back to the red days of the West, where centaurs and humans coexist, and nothing good lasts. When two bodies turn up in the ashes of a burned homestead, one lawman picks up a trail that leads its bloody way back to Asa and Rook.

Nine years after the events of Hotblood! Vol 1: The Land of Promise, Evander Rook is a centaur on the run. When his trail leads to two unidentifiable corpses in a burned-down house, it’s the job of US Marshal Zarco to bring him in – dead or alive. But as he gets closer to his quarry, what started as a routine investigation will lead Zarco to the edge of everything he’s ever known.

Hotblood! Vol. 2: The Valley of Kings goes on sale September 8, 2026.

Hotblood Vol. 1

(W/A/C/L) Toril Orlesky

The year is 1871 and the centaur Evander Rook finds himself at rock bottom, working for would-be robber baron Asa Langley–a human! As the unlikely pair get closer, romance and conspiracy run wild and Rook finds himself caught up in Asa’s ambitions as they are both forced to face the ghosts of their interwoven pasts.