Professional TTRPG gamemaster and podcaster Aabria Iyengar is teaming with Belle of the Ball artist Mari Costa for a new miniseries coming from BOOM! Studios’ BOOM! Box imprint. The Fade is about a college freshman in a world where people can pass over into a fantasy realm called The Fade while they sleep.
“The Fade is my love letter to everyone that dreams of who they might be in a wilder, more fantastical world as a way of figuring out who they want to be in this one,” said Iyengar. “The dream is the first step. Keep going!”
Iyengar has made a name as not only a professional gamemaster for tabletop role-playing games, but overall as a great storyteller and improv talent. She is the gamemaster for the webseries Dimension 20: Misfits & Magic, which returns for a second season later this month. Costa is the artist of graphic novels like Belle of the Ball from First Second and the Demon of Beausoleil, and also the author of the forthcoming novel Shoestring Theory.
Here are more details from BOOM!:
A once fearless high schooler, Jeannie wasn’t prepared for the aimless feeling of being a college freshman, but that’s all about to change! Mirror myths take on new life in the modern age, as countless people claim to have passed into a realm called “The Fade” in their dreams via a viral internet sensation. But what awaits Jeannie and her best friend Arno on the other side? Royal quests, ancient prophecies, or something far more dangerous…?
“There wasn’t really a universe where I saw a pitch for a story about a fae world with super sexy character designs and didn’t immediately get super aggressive about landing the job,” Costa said. “It aligns with my values of being very stylish and unserious at all times. Also, being about to work with THE Aabria Iyengar is just the cherry on top.”
Variant cover artists for the first issue include Stephanie Hans and Veronica Fish:
And BOOM! shared a bunch of concept artwork for the series, by Costa:
The first issue will arrive in stores Nov. 6.