Even though I am scared of literally everything these days (the joys of a panic disorder), I have always loved Halloween. As a parent, I love it even more because my kids (and wife) get so excited, and go nuts with costumes and decorating our home/yard. While I've not been able to WATCH a lot of horror content lately because I'll have kids come in me at the worst times, I have a deep love and respect for horror creators.
Allow me to introduce the NEWEST Maverick title, hitting shelves on October 31, 2023!
Confetti Realms (Maverick)
By: Nadia Shammas, Karnessa, and Hakto Oshiro
Releases: October 31, 2023.
A group of teens are transported from a graveyard to another realm where they must collect teeth— and learn about themselves— in order to return home.
The summary in the press release reads:
On Halloween night, when the moon is full, teenagers get up to mischief. But when an encounter with a giant, sentient puppet in a graveyard sends four teens to a mysterious dimension called the Confetti Realms, they must overcome obstacles in their own friendships–and collect the debted teeth owed to the puppet–in order to make their way home.
My initial thought is "what in the Goosebumps hellscape of my youth did I just read?" Then it marinated for a bit, and I knew this is going to become the nightmare fuel I crave this Halloween. With the temptation of staying in the fantasy world vs returning home, the fate of these teens is truly a coin flip!
Eisner Award Winning Author, Nadia Shammas said of the book "The idea of CONFETTI REALMS started with a Victorian Christmas Card. I was really inspired by the festive yet strangely macabre animals in their finest clothes. When thinking about developing the energy of the book further, pairing with Karnessa influenced a lot of creative decisions. I've been a fan of Karnessa's work for a long time, they manage to balance comedy and horror so incredibly well, and their creature design work is just off the charts. I feel like we kept leaning into the absurdity of the world we had created, and it kept pushing us to go funnier and weirder. This book is probably the strangest and most joyous work I've done yet. It's a touch of Over the Garden Wall with emo teens, a quest for loose teeth, and big emotional stakes."
As a self-identified elder emo, I am ready to welcome this story into my life with open arms!
Karnessa, the book’s illustrator, says “this comic is like a weird vinaigrette of my favorite stuff. It has a little bit of everything: friendship, teeth, frog crimes, romance, catboys, more teeth and even a handsome automaton with the tumblr sexyman vibes.” While I have no idea what half of the items on Karnessa's list are (aside from an automaton) their level of excitement definitely brings me to the table!
I think, even though this is a young-adult graphic novel, I'm here for the story and the art, especially since I read "children's funny books" as a hobby! Click the button below to pre-order this new book at your favorite retailer, I know I will!