What’s scarier: demons or parenthood? IDW announces ‘Scarenthood’

Nick Roche, Chris O’Halleran and Shawn Lee kick off a new horror title in October.

Writer and artist Nick Roche is teaming up with colorist Chris O’Halloran and letterer Shawn Lee to bring some bumps in the night to the local neighborhood in Scarenthood, a four-issue miniseries debuting from IDW in October.

“My generation grew up in what seemed like a haunted Ireland: superstition still abounded, and everyone had seen moving holy statues, or lived near a stately home that had been burnt to the ground in a Satanic visitation, or knew someone who chopped down a Faerie bush and lived to regret it,” Roche said in the press release. “Scarenthood is about realizing that some of those horrors from childhood are real, but nothing is more terrifying than ruining your own kid’s life. Also: there are funny bits.”

On Twitter, Roche added: “… it’s about some parents who go ghosthunting while their kids are in preschool, but have to be back by lunchtime to collect them. It’s The Goonies, grown-up and with mortgages. Or: Catastrophe meets Stranger Things. In Ireland.”

Here’s how IDW describes the comic:

With their kids away on a field trip, a group of parents disturbs an ancient evil buried beneath the old Church Hall, unearthing a decades-old mystery about a missing child, and inviting something… hungry into their lives. Suddenly, their mornings go from playdates and peanut allergies to a battle for the souls of one broken family⁠ — and one child in particular.

Roche has worked on IDW’s Transformers titles, including “The Wreckers Saga,” as well titles like New Warriors, Death’s Head and Amazing Spider-Man. O’Halloran has colored a variety of books, the one that seems most relevant here being Ice Cream Man, the Image horror anthology title.

“I’m incredibly happy to be coloring Scarenthood,” said O’Halloran. “I’ve been an admirer of Nick’s work for a long time and working on a story set so close to home is a bit of rarity. The spookier elements are such fun to work on and getting those moments to hit right each time is a treat, but it’s the incredible character work by Nick, both as a writer and artist, that’s making this such a special project for me.”

Roche shared some preview pages on Twitter:

And IDW shared this variant cover by Declan Shalvey:

“Through every project Nick Roche has done at IDW — Transformers, Monster Motors, and his cover work — he has brought an enthusiasm and viewpoint that greatly enriches the work,” said editor David Mariotte. “Having him and Chris O’Halloran bring Scarenthood to life (or afterlife as the case may be) here has been phenomenally exciting. They’re telling a story close to their hearts, which elevates the humor, the scares, and the quiet moments in an authentic and beautiful way.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.