Co-writers Elliot Sperl and Amit Tishler will team with artist Rui Silveira, colorist Francesco Segala and letterer Frank Cvetkovic for The Last Wardens, a “supernatural crime drama” coming from Mad Cave Studios this summer.
“The Last Wardens is a sheep in wolf’s clothing,” Tishler said. “It’s designed to subvert expectations! The setting, atmosphere and visual style are clearly inspired by classic horror films, but the story’s lore, setting and structure are more akin to modern epics. Chaotic violence clashes with complex emotional drama, as the comic explores the theme of FAILURE, and how to chew it up, spit it out and ask for seconds. The series is the brainchild of a creative collaboration between Elliot and me, and despite differing in tone from personal works, it has all the elements I love in a story: historical fiction, supernatural elements, a slowly unraveling mystery…and some ridiculous amount of gore.”
The story focuses on small-town girl Daneille, whose long-lost brother returns from the Vietnam War in the 1970s with a mutation and a team of paranormal misfits on his trail.
“I’m a huge fan of ‘Rubber Monster Suit’ horror movies, and creating a comic that harkens back to the VHS-era has been a blast! But packing references into The Last Wardens was never the end goal, EVERY design choice in this series is intentional,” Sperl said. “For example, the 1970s setting plays a major role in our cast’s journeys, skills and the tools they have at their disposal. But the story wouldn’t pack half the punches if it wasn’t told through the lens of our POV character. Danielle Pryer is the heart and soul of this story, and the heartbreaking choices she’s forced to make are what turn this mayhem-fueled adventure into something that readers can connect with on a deeper level.”
Here’s how mad Cave describes the series:
With an alcoholic father and a hole in her wallet, Danielle Pryer’s life in the rustic town of Bleakwood goes from bad to worse when her long-lost brother, Bruce, returns from the Vietnam War. While Bruce is being plagued by a mysterious and monstrous mutation he is also being hunted by an incompetent team of paranormal misfits, which leads to Bleakwood quickly becoming ground zero of a supernatural battle that forces Danielle to choose between everything she holds dear and the fate of the world as a whole.
“When I received the script, I was hooked by the atmosphere of adventure and terror and its unique characters and their conflicts,” Silveira said. “They are normal people in a desperate situation, all in a 1970s country town setting, bringing that feeling of films like Army of Darkness and series like Tales from the Crypt. I am sure that readers will follow the unfolding of this story and will be surprised.”
Look for the first issue to arrive in stores on June 17.