Tag: Patrick Horvath

Smash Pages Q&A | The writers of Oni’s new Archie Comics line on Riverdale, reinvention + why these characters endure

Ben H. Winters, Corinna Bechko and Patrick Horvath talk about what it takes to reimagine some of comics’ most enduring characters.

This fall, Oni Press and Archie Comics will launch a new publishing partnership timed to the 85th anniversary of Archie’s first appearance, beginning with Ben H. Winters and Fábio Moon’s Archie #1, followed in October by Corinna Bechko and Kano’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1, and then in November by Patrick Horvath and Tyler Crook’s Archie in Hell #1.

Each title is taking a distinct approach to Riverdale, with Winters and Moon leaning into slice-of-life teenage drama, Bechko and Kano exploring a magical coming-of-age story, and Horvath and Crook bringing their horror sensibilities to a cursed version of Archie.

I chatted with the three writers of the new titles about tackling these characters, what has to stay the same and what they felt free to reinvent. In addition, we’re happy to share a first look at the character designs for Archie and Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Moon and Kano.

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Slugfest | All-star lineup assembles for ‘Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees Halloween Special’

Plus: TaleSpin, Amazing Venom and more!

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more info.

Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees will get a Halloween anthology one-shot in October, featuring stories by James Tynion IV, Tony Fleecs, Che Grayson, Dave Wachter and Jared Cullum, among others.

The anthology is set in the years after Samantha Strong, the cuddly bear/hardware store owner/brutal serial killer, left Woodbrook at the end of the second series, with the town’s citizens gathering around a campfire to swap stories about her legend.

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Oni Press reveals more details on their new Archie Comics line

Ben H. Winters joins Fábio Moon on the flagship ‘Archie’ title in a lineup that also includes new ‘Sabrina’ and ‘Archie in Hell’ series launching this fall.

Oni Press has shared more details on their upcoming Archie Comics line, including a change to the creative team on the Archie title.

When Oni and Archie Comics announced their partnership last year, W. Maxwell Prince was named as the writer on Archie. The series will now be written by Ben H. Winters, best known for his Last Policeman novels and for creating and showrunning CBS’s Tracker. Winters made his comics debut on Oni’s EC Comics line with Cruel Universe in 2024, followed by the miniseries Benjamin in 2025. He joins the art team of Fábio Moon and Nick Cagnetti, along with cover artist Stuart Immonen.

“What an extraordinary honor it is to write these stories,” Winters said. “And more importantly, what a total blast. Archie Andrews is an honest-to-goodness American icon, right up there with Mickey Mouse and Bart Simpson…and just like them, he’s enterprising, curious and kind, forever bouncing into some new adventure along with his loyal pals. I’m finding these characters delightful to write, for the same reason people have enjoyed reading Archie lo these many years — Riverdale’s just a fun place to hang out.”

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Oni + Archie announce a publishing partnership

Oni will publish comic series, collections and graphic novels featuring the Archie characters beginning in the fall of 2026.

Oni Press has announced that they’re partnering with Archie Comics to publish a new line of comics and graphic novels featuring the Archie characters. The partnership will begin next fall.

“From the world of comics – where Archie’s stories led so many to pick up their very first comic book – to the long-running success of Riverdale, Archie’s cherished cast of characters have few rivals in terms of their visibility or influence on global pop culture,” said David Steward II, Chairman of the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. “This new partnership is one of the most significant moments in Oni Press’ three decades as a leading publisher of independent comics, and, in collaboration with the Archie team, we look forward to writing a memorable new chapter in the history of these legendary characters that will set the stage for decades worth of stories yet to come.”

The first three series they’re teasing are Archie by W. Maxwell Prince, Fábio Moon and Nick Cagnetti; Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Corinna Bechko and Kano; and Archie in Hell by Patrick Horvath and Tyler Crook. Based on the creators invovled, these sound like they’ll continue the spirit of the “new” Archie and the Archie Horror lines we’ve seen in the past.

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Patrick Horvath returns to Woodbrook for more cozy terror in ‘Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rites of Spring’

IDW will release the sequel miniseries, set 10 years after the first series, in July.

Patrick Horvath’s “cozy horror” series about a Richard Scarey-esque bear who likes murder will return with a sequel series this summer. IDW will publish the six-issue Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rites of Spring beginning in July.

The original series, which debuted in late 2023, was nominated for several awards in both 2024 and 2025, and made my personal “best of” list for 2024. It featured a teddy bear/serial killer named Samantha, who took down a rival killer in her small town. In the new series, “there are no secrets in the age of the internet… and those who lost loved ones to her dark temptations are still searching for justice.”

“I’m supremely excited to return to the quaint town of Woodbrook to continue the story of our psychopath bear, Samantha Strong,” remarked Horvath. “I continue to be blown away by the response to the first book. In my wildest dreams I never thought it would have caught such a huge wave that spread out to other countries and languages. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees continues to be a huge gift to me, and I’m grateful for all of the immense support from IDW, the retailers, critics, and fans.”

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Nominees announced for the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards

Comics by Gou Tanabe, Robin Ha, Beth Hetland, Patrick Horvath and Maggie Umber were nominated this year.

The Horror Writers Association has announced the final nominees for the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards, which includes a graphic novel category.

The annual awards recognize “superior achievement” in horror and dark fiction, with a category dedicated to graphic novels. Previous winners in the category include Kolchak: The Night Stalker: 50th Anniversary Graphic Novel and Amy Chu and Soo Lee’s graphic novel Carmilla: The First Vampire.

The nominees for the “Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel” category are:

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Oni Press will publish Patrick Horvath’s ‘Free For All’ next March

Billionaires defend their riches in ritual combat in the graphic novel.

Oni Press has announced plans to publish Free For All, a graphic novel written and drawn by acclaimed creator Patrick Horvath, next year. Horvath is the creator of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, the excellent “cozy horror” miniseries published by IDW, and previously funded Free For All on Zoop.

Free For All seems to have dropped the “cozy” and replaced it with “brutal greed.” It’s set in a world where the world’s richest people are forced to either donate money to charity or face off in ritual combat to defend their millions.

“I’m thrilled that Free For All has found a home with Oni Press,” said Horvath. “The idea for it came from an immense frustration with the state of society almost a decade ago, and with the issues of the world as they stand now, it’s only become more relevant. I’m so glad this book has a chance now to reach a wide audience.”

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Nominees announced for the 2024 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award

The annual awards program that recognizes promising artists will be presented during the Eisner Awards in July at Comic-Con International.

Comic-Con International has announced this year’s Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award nominees. Named for the creator of Magnus, Robot Fighter and illustrator of the Tarzan and Star Wars comic strips, the award recognizes a new artist who “shows a superior knowledge and ability in the art of creating comics.”

Previous winners include Dave Stevens, Eleanor Davis, Jeff Smith, Marion Churchland, David Petersen, Tyler Crook, Dan Mora, Lorena Alvarez, Nate Simpson and Luana Vecchio. Last year Zoe Thorogood won the Manning Award.

The 2024 nominees are:

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Slugfest | ‘Masters of the Universe’ starts a ‘Revolution’

Plus: Check out news and announcements on Ghost Machine, Spider-Man, Archie Horror, Dr. Frederic Wertham and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Dark Horse has announced another miniseries tie-in to the Masters of the Universe Netflix show, which returns to the streaming platform on Jan. 25.

Masters of the Universe: Revolution is written by show producers Tim Sheridan, Rob David and Ted Biaselli, with illustrations by Daniel HDR, inking by Keith Champagne, coloring by Brad Simpson and lettering by AndWorld Design. The first issue features a variant cover by Tyler Boss:

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Richard Scarrier: ‘Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees’ brings ‘adorable horror’ to comics in October

Patrick Horvath writes, draws and colors the new series for the IDW Originals line.

The town of Woodbrook might seem familiar to anyone who has ever read Richard Scarry or played Animal Crossing, but the little town has some dark secrets that will be exposed in Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.

Written, drawn and colored by Patrick Horvath with lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees offers a “cozy horror” story, according to IDW Publishing.

“One of my guiding principles for this series is to strike a balance between cute, fun, dark and disturbing, and I think that readers will be very pleased with the results,” Horvath said. “A lot of the creative work that I do tends to be these dark little existential explorations, carving a path through the dread of having your life up-ended. For as strange, or insane, or idiosyncratic your interior life might be, that type of story resonates with a ton of people. Every person goes through it in some form or other, and with Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees that person happens to be a cuddly brown bear who is a serial killer and owns a hardware store.” 

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