Urban fantasy novelist Melissa F. Olson will make her full-length comic debut with Archaic, a new miniseries coming from Ahoy Comics that will feature artwork by Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters, Human Remains) and colorist Gab Contreras (Witchblood, Mezo).
Archaic is about a woman looking for a place to hide from her husband’s misdeeds who inherits an island from the biological father she never met — an island filled with “retired” gods and legendary creatures.
“This is my first full-length comic book, but, weirdly, it’s also the most personal story I’ve ever written,” Olson said. “When the world came to a standstill during COVID lockdown, a lot of people had to re-think their place in the world, myself included. What does it really mean for me to be employed, to parent, to have purpose? What do I do with the instinct to protect my children from really big things I can’t control? Those are tough questions, and the more I considered them, the more I wanted to write about a character who was doing the same thing in a truly fantastical place. I’m so grateful I was able to connect with Sally, the best monster artist in the business, and honored that AHOY wanted to tell this story with us.”
Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for:
After Tess Halliday’s crooked ex-husband steals from some bad people, Tess is off-grid in snowy Chicago with her teenage stepson Teo and ten-year-old twins Audrey and Liam. Then life-changing news arrives on the doorstep: The biological father she never met has left Tess a tiny coastal island off North Carolina called Demonde, which includes a mansion and trust — and a guarantee that Tess and her family will have complete safety. Tess is grateful for a temporary escape to sunnier shores — but the island has her own plans for the Hallidays, and they don’t include sunbathing. After the mysterious death of Tess’s father Phillip, the sentient, controlling Demonde needs a human trustee to deal with the resident frustrated gods and squabbling legends. Now that she’s here, Tess is bound by blood to stay forever…at least according to the island’s two-faced (literally) butler and the local goddess of the dead. Caught between a sentient rock and a criminal hard place, Tess and the kids race to find Phillip’s killer and understand their place on an island of retired magic.
“Melissa has woven an excellent story with Archaic — it resonated with me from the first time that I read the pitch,” Cantirino said. “Starting a new phase in life is scary, and so is confronting the metaphorical monsters of your past or your ancestors. Tess, Teo, Aubrey, and Liam all embrace that adventure with an admirable combination of strength and curiosity. I couldn’t wait to explore the world and delve into the mysteries of the island right alongside Tess and her family. It was such a fun and rewarding experience to collaborate with Melissa as an artist to design the island and its inhabitants, and Gab’s colors bring it all to life.”
Variant cover artists for the first issue include Liana Kangas and Emma Vieceli:
Look for the first issue to arrive on Dec. 4.