Kelly Sue DeConnick and David López, the creators behind Marvel’s well-regarded reboot of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel some years ago, are reuniting for a new creator-owned series that’s coming from Dark Horse Comics this fall.
FML, which stands for … well, search it up … is about a teenager and his mom navigating a world of modern terrors, punk rock music and magical realism. DeConnick has been teasing it in her newsletter and dropping in Easter eggs, like a website for a band from the comic where you can already buy FML T-shirts. DeConnick and López are joined on the project by colorist Cris Peter and letterer Clayton Cowles, both of whom are veterans of DeConnick’s Bitch Planet.
“David and I have been talking about doing something creator-owned together since Captain Marvel, but it took years for the stars and our schedules to properly align,” said DeConnick. “Now that we’re here though, it almost feels planned — like we needed exactly as long as it took us to grow and change, both as artists and as people, so that we could come back together for this big swing.”
Here’s how Dark Horse describes the series
Riley is a 16-year-old heavy metal kid who draws down his anxiety with a ballpoint pen. His mother is an aging punk cartoonist slam dancing with a true crime obsession. Bound by threads of magical realism, they navigate the absurdities and horrors of our modern lives.
Issue one introduces Riley’s daily life: terrorism diaries, school shooter drills, and social pressures under the constant shadow of encroaching wildfires that rain ash like a morbid snow. His refuge? The Forest Park Witch’s House, where tales of chaos magic and trickster gods promise some semblance of sense in a senseless world.
“FML is a challenging book — stylistically and in tone — and I’m not sure we could have pulled it off five years ago, honestly,” said DeConnick. “But here we are—and I’m so proud of and impressed by the work put in by everyone involved. David is drawing like he’s got something to prove, Cris is pulling disparate styles together seamlessly, tying them together with her palette and Clayton of course, our ace and secret weapon, works his subtle magic on lettering to make sure you hear everything in your head exactly the way it was intended. McCubbin developed this terrific logo that evolves with each issue, and I don’t even know where to start with how supportive and inspiring Daniel Chabon’s editorial team has been. They’ve given us exactly what we needed at every step along the way.”
The first issue will feature variant covers by Alvaro Martinez Bueno, David LaFuente, Nicola Scott and Pepe Larraz:
The first issue of 8 will arrive in shops Nov. 6.