NYCC 2026: Mad Cave Studios Exclusives

New and returning convention exclusive covers to some of Mad Cave’s hottest titles, only at Booth #4457 during New York Comic Con 2026!

​Mad Cave Studios presents a new line of limited convention exclusives for New York Comic Con 2026 at Booth #4457, while offering another chance to snag exclusives from San Diego Comic Con 2026 while supplies last.

SDCC 2026: Mad Cave Studios and King Features Resurrect RIP KIRBY

Following a first look during San Diego Comic-Con, Mad Cave Studios, in partnership with King Features, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters, unveils the return of RIP KIRBY. One of the most influential detectives in comics history, Rip Kirby will star in an all-new series that honors the sharp wit, sophistication, and timeless appeal that made the character a legend.

Written by two-time Eisner Award nominee Christopher Sebela (High Crimes, Dead Letters), illustrated by Tango (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Archie Horror), colored by KJ Diaz, and lettered by Jeff Eckleberry, Rip Kirby delivers a fresh mystery built on one of comics' most enduring foundations.

SDCC 2026: Mad Cave Studios Programming Announced

Mad Cave Studios is heading back to San Diego Comic-Con International with one of its biggest convention lineups yet, bringing award-nominated creators, major panel programming, creator signings, and one of the publisher's most anticipated slates of upcoming releases to Booth #2806. From the highly anticipated return of the '80s cult classic The Last Starfighter and Star Wars to the forthcoming release of Momo by acclaimed actor, writer, and filmmaker John Cusack, Mad Cave Studios—and its imprints Nakama Press, Maverick, and Papercutz—will celebrate comics across every corner of the growing publishing line.

The publisher arrives with one of its strongest years of industry recognition to date, earning six nominations across the 2026 Eisner Awards, with Temporal nominated for Best New Series, with Stephanie Williams also recognized for Best Writer, while Francesco Francavilla (Dick Tracy) nominated for Best Cover Artist, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Our Soot-Stained Heart) nominated for Best Lettering. Rising talents Stipan Morian (Our Soot-Stained Heart) and Toril Orlesky (Hotblood!) are also nominees for the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award.

From the AW YEAH Universe Comes METEOR MITE

A mysterious crystal. A galaxy in danger. One ordinary kid is about to become the most powerful hero on Earth! 

Mad Cave Studios' Papercutz imprint is proud to announce METEOR MITE: UP & AT ‘EM!, an all-new original graphic novel from Eisner, Harvey, and CIPA Award-winning cartoonist Art Baltazar, introducing readers to the latest superhero to emerge from the beloved Aw Yeah! Universe.

Years in the making! A tale of Galactic Proportions!

Our saga takes us to the far reaches of space, where a mysterious runaway Crystal is being pursued by the evil Meteor Mongers! The Mongers will not stop until they find the Enchanted Crystal! WHAT? WHY? What's so important about this Crystal? Could it be the ultimate power in the universe? I think so! Or maybe the Crystal is about to choose the newest Hero of the Aw Yeat Universe! You bet!

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK: Escape from Chicago

Mad Cave Studios brings Snake Plissken back to comics this September with ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK: ESCAPE FROM CHICAGO, a new continuation series, expanding the world of John Carpenter's beloved 1981 cult-classic film.

Written by Kyle Higgins (Radiant Black, No One) and illustrated by Val Rodrigues (The Pale Knight), the series sends one of pop culture's most iconic antiheroes into an all-new adventure packed with danger, violence, and the dystopian chaos that made Escape From New York a genre-defining classic.

Once you go in, you don't come out—unless your name is Snake Plissken! Plissken now survives as a coyote, smuggling people and contraband across the dangerous dead zones between prison territories like Chicago. It's a hard and bitter job. But when he's hired to extract a woman wanted by the city's warlord, Snake sees one more chance at redemption—or one more chance for the universe to kick his ass.

YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND: A Charity Comic for Indigenous Rights

A powerful new anthology brings together Indigenous creators, centering stories of resistance, identity, and community.

Mad Cave Studios supports organizations and awareness surrounding the Missing & Murdered movement with the anthology YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND: A CHARITY COMIC FOR INDIGENOUS RIGHTS. All profits from the collection will be donated to Not Our Native Daughters, a Native-led, survivor-led organization dedicated to addressing the Missing, Murdered, and Exploited Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis.

Collecting stories and art donated by some of comics’ leading Indigenous creators, You Are On Native Land features contributions from Jon Proudstar, Gord Hill, Chas Lowry, Kelly Lynne D’Angelo, Jackie Fawn, Steph Littlebird, Roy Boney, Jim Terry, David Cutler, David Mack, Arihhonni "Honni" Cannon Clay David, and many more. Tales of native resistance, family and kinship, love and grief fill the book, including a special reprint of Tribal Force #1, the first comic to feature a superhero team made up entirely of Indigenous heroes.

DICK TRACY #16 Launches a Brutal New Arc

Mad Cave Studios kicks off a pivotal new story arc with DICK TRACY #16 that will turn the screws tighter than ever, pushing the iconic detective into a battle that cuts deeper than any other case he’s faced before!

From acclaimed series writers Alex Segura and Michael Moreci, joined by artist Geraldo Borges (Green Lantern Corps), colorist Mark Englert (Capes), and letterer Patrick Brosseau, with a variant cover by Mahmud Asrar (X-Men, Conan), this next chapter marks a true turning point in the series, one where long-buried threads resurface, alliances shift, and the one thing Tracy has always relied on may no longer hold.

Mad Cave Studios Announces BABYLON COVE

A Small Town. A Love Triangle. An Ancient Demon Who Refuses to Take a Hint.

Returning to your hometown is never easy, but for Heather Hutchens, it’s a nightmare…

Announcing BABYLON COVE, the five-issue horror romantic comedy series from Mad Cave Studios, written by Rafer Roberts (Modern Fantasy, Grumble) with art by New York Times Best-selling artist Joe Eisma (Morning Glories), colors by Marissa Louise (Hex Wives), and lettering by Crank! (Hack/Slash), featuring a variant cover by Eric Powell. 

NYCC 2025: Flash Gordon Adventures Takes on Comic Con

Papercutz and Mad Cave Studios are thrilled to share a preview of Flash Gordon Adventures! Vol. 2: The Anthology Odyssey, along with the inside scoop on some early signings at New York Comic Con 2025!

The Adventure Continues! Flash Gordon and friends return in a brand-new adventurous anthology filled with sci-fi action and humor! What happens when Zarkov creates a machine that can open a window to parallel dimensions? Find out when the most awesome cartoonists in the universe unite to explore alternate versions and styles of our heroic characters, and tell all-new action-packed tales. Will Flash Gordon be able to stop an evil robot in time to meet his friends at the amusement park, or will it be destroyed before he gets there? Can Dale save Flash and Princess Aura from the worst day ever? Who has a bigger ego, Ming or Flash? All of these questions and more will be answered in this exciting new collection of short stories that focus on friendship, trust and doing the right thing against impossible odds. All this and so much more!

NYCC 2025: Mad Cave Studios at New York Comic Con

Mad Cave Studios returns to New York Comic Con 2025, running October 9-12 at the Jacob K. Javits Center, with a packed lineup of convention exclusives, creator signings, and panels—alongside fresh programming and surprises from its Maverick, Papercutz, and Nakama Press imprints, too!

Mad Cave's BLADE FORGER

The discovery of CORUM, a never seen before energy source, led to a bloody world war for its control. After years of destruction, the Lords of the Lands agreed to negotiate a ceasefire for lasting peace. The BLADE FORGERS TREATY was born from that meeting. This treaty established that the mining of Corum would be centralized through one government, led by a neutral Emperor. The Emperor would have to be a BLADE FORGER, a mystical swordsman, and claim the title in a tournament called The Tournament of the Five Rings. Every five years Blade Forgers from every corner of the Empire would fight for the possibility of becoming the new Emperor. A young Blade Forger named Owada challenges the Emperor in the name of the forsaken people. This is the story of what happens next.

Mad Cave Suggests You Make Room for THE MAMMOTH

Mad Cave Studios is proud to announce THE MAMMOTH TPB, the collected edition of the Teen+ series written by the celebrated horror comic creative team Paul Tobin (Plants vs. Zombies) and artist Arjuna Susini (The Bone Tribe).

Something is wrong in the deep forests of Broke Tree Valley. Something deadly. Something mammoth. The legends speak of something larger than human comprehension...A monstrous phantom that disappears for decades at a time. Now, it’s back, and things are about to go Very Bad if four people—Olivia, Jess, Kokoro, and Mason, scientists who have come to the small city of Kasbro to investigate a bizarre series of seismic activities in this heavily forested valley—can’t put the Mammoth to rest. One real problem with this is…Olivia’s dead.

WINX CLUB Volume III: Heart of a Fairy

Mad Cave Studios and Rainbow Group are pleased to announce WINX CLUB VOLUME III: HEART OF A FAIRY (Out November 2024), the new book that collects 3 classic Winx Tales- The School for Witches, Heart of a Fairy and A Job for Bloom

Join the Winx Club, a group of fairies who fight evil using their unique magical powers! In this first installment, The School for Witches, Bloom is introduced to Fairy school in Magix, and a whole new world of superpowered girlfriends, scary monsters, and wicked witches — all the while becoming  stronger herself and finding the true meaning of friendship.

Papercutz & Rainbow Group Announce WINX CLUB 3-in-1, Vol 1

Mad Cave Studios and Rainbow Group are pleased to announce WINX CLUB 3-in-1, Vol 1 (out February 2025). This is the first time these nine stories have been collected together in this large format volume, which will please fans of magic, fantasy, and teenage dilemmas featuring heroic faeries and evil witches.

Join the Winx Club, a group of fairies who fight evil using their unique magical powers while attending the Alfea College of Fairies in the land of Magix!

Mad Cave Studios Announces FCBD Silver Titles for 2024

Mad Cave Studios is excited to announce its 2024 Free Comic Book Day titles including FLASH GORDON and GATCHAMAN, and Papercutz titles ASTERIX and Nickelodeon's THE LOUD HOUSE! 

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is the biggest event in the comic book industry—a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops! Founded on the belief that for every person out there, there’s a comic book they’ll love, the annual event offers a huge selection of free titles designed to appeal to a broad range of age levels and their tastes.

NYCC 2023: Winx Club Vol. 1: Welcome to Magix

Mad Cave Studios and Rainbow Group are pleased to announce that the first in their brand new series of Winx graphic novels for young adult and middle grade readers will be Winx Club Vol. 1: Welcome to the Magix, publishing January 16, 2024. 

Join the Winx Club, a group of fairies who fight evil using their unique magical powers! In this first installment, Bloom is introduced to Fairy school in Magix, and a whole new world of superpowered girlfriends, scary monsters, and wicked witches — all the while becoming stronger herself and finding the true meaning of friendship.

There is a second piece of news that will excite Winx fans: At this year’s New York Comic Con (Thu, Oct 12, 2023 – Sun, Oct 15, 2023), readers will be able to buy an early version of the book with a limited Edition NYCC 20th Gold Foil cover, to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Winx series! We are pleased to be able to provide the Gold Foil cover here, and below. 

DICK TRACY Comes To Mad Cave Studios

Mad Cave Studios has partnered with DICK TRACY comics rights-holders Alex Segura, Michael Moreci, and Chantelle Aimée Osman, with oversight from DICK TRACY owners, Tribune Content Agency, to bring the iconic lawman back to comics!

For over 90 years, the evolution of Chester Gould’s detective DICK TRACY has gone from comic strip to a radio show and merchandise, all the way to hitting the big screen in 1990. Now the square-jawed crimestopper is making his way to Mad Cave for all new adventures and a super sly takeover of nostalgia.

At the helm of Mad Cave’s  DICK TRACY series debut is bestselling and award-winning author Alex Segura (SECRET IDENTITY, ARANA/SPIDER-MAN 2099: DARK TOMORROW), acclaimed author Michael Moreci (BARBARIC, STRANGER THINGS), and renowned artist Geraldo Borges (NIGHTWING, NO/ONE, THUNDERBOLTS), with creative consultation from Chantelle Aimée Osman (THE REJECTS).

NYCC 2022: Mad Cave Studios Panels, Exclusives & More

Mad Cave Studios is headed to New York Comic Con 2022 (Oct. 6 - 9) at the Javits Center, booth #3065! With exciting announcements, panels, and exclusives, fans won’t want to miss the opportunity grab variants including the upcoming titles A Legacy of Violence, Nottingham, Nature’s Labyrinth, Dahlia in the Dark, and Battlecats, with 20 of each now available for pre-order on the Mad Cave website, which can be picked up at the Mad Cave Studios booth.

Upon acquisition in August, Papercutz including famed licensed properties The Smurfs, Loud House, Geronimo Stilton, Casagrandes, and more, Yahgz creator, Art Baltazar, will be signing alongside other great Mad Cave Studios creators!