AHOY Comics has announced Archaic, a new series from Melissa F. Olson (Project: Cryptid, Dead Spots), artist Sally Cantilino (I Walk With Monsters), and colorist Gab Contreras. First hitting shelves on December 4, the contemporary action-adventure follows the newest inhabitants of a sentient island inhabited by gods and monsters from a dead civilization: a busy single mother and her three kids.
“This is my first full-length comic book, but strangely enough, it’s also the most personal story I’ve ever written,” said writer Melissa F. Olson, best known for her long-running urban fantasy novel series. “When the world came to a halt during the COVID-19 lockdown, many of us, including myself, had to rethink our place in the world. What does it actually mean for me to be employed, to be a parent, to have a purpose? What do we do with our instinct to want to protect our children from really big things that are beyond our control? These are hard questions, and the more I thought about them, the more I wanted to write about characters doing the same thing in a really fantastical place. I’m so grateful to have been able to connect with Sully, the best monster artist in the business, and I’m honored that AHOY wanted to tell this story with us.”
So, what is Archaic?
After Tess Halliday’s unscrupulous ex-husband steals from the wrong people, she lives alone in snowy Chicago with her teenage stepson Theo, and 10-year-old twins Audrey and Liam. Then life-changing news arrives on her doorstep: her biological father, whom she has never met, has left Tess a small island off the coast of North Carolina called Demond. It comes with a mansion and a trust, and Tess and her family are completely guaranteed to be safe. Tess is grateful for a temporary escape to its sunny shores, but the island has its own plans for the Hallidays, and they don’t include sunbathing. Following the mysterious death of Tess’s father, Philip, the sentient and controlling Demond needs a human trustee to deal with the vexed gods and squabbling legends that inhabit the island. Now that Tess is here, she’s bound by blood to stay here forever…at least, according to the island’s two-faced (literal) butler and the local goddess of the dead. Caught between a sentient rock and a criminal predicament, Tess and the kids do everything they can to find Philip’s killer and understand their place on the island where magic has been retired.
“Melissa has crafted an incredible story with ARCHAIC that resonated with me from the first time I read the proposal,” says artist Sally Cantilino. “Starting a new phase in your life can be scary, but so can coming face to face with metaphorical monsters from your past and ancestors. Tess, Theo, Aubrey and Liam all embrace the adventure with a great combination of strength and curiosity, and I can’t wait to explore the world with Tess and her family and delve into the mysteries of the island. Collaborating with Melissa as an artist to design the island and its inhabitants has been such a fun and rewarding experience, and Gab’s colors really bring it all to life.”
(September 10, 2024) AHOY Comics, the Syracuse-based independent publisher known for its acclaimed creators, witty satire, and commitment to risk-taking storytelling, is proud to present a bold new series, ARCHAIC. This contemporary action-adventure follows a busy single mother and her three children, the newest inhabitants of a sentient island inhabited by the gods and monsters of a dying civilization. From writer Melissa F. Olson (Project: Cryptid, Dead Spots), artist Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters) and colorist Gab Contreras (Witchblood), this fast-paced mystery explores what happens after legends are no longer needed in the world. ARCHAIC #1 will feature a main cover by Cantirino, as well as variant covers by Liana Kangas and Emma Vieceli, and will hit stores on December 4th, 2024.
“This is my first full-length comic book, but strangely enough, it’s also the most personal story I’ve ever written,” said writer Melissa F. Olson, best known for her long-running urban fantasy novel series. “When the world came to a halt during the COVID-19 lockdown, many of us, including myself, had to rethink our place in the world. What does it actually mean for me to be employed, to be a parent, to have a purpose? What do we do with our instinct to want to protect our children from really big things that are beyond our control? These are hard questions, and the more I thought about them, the more I wanted to write about characters doing the same thing in a really fantastical place. I’m so grateful to have been able to connect with Sully, the best monster artist in the business, and I’m honored that AHOY wanted to tell this story with us.”
After Tess Halliday’s unscrupulous ex-husband steals from the wrong people, she lives alone in snowy Chicago with her teenage stepson Theo, and 10-year-old twins Audrey and Liam. Then life-changing news arrives on her doorstep: her biological father, whom she has never met, has left Tess a small island off the coast of North Carolina called Demond. It comes with a mansion and a trust, and Tess and her family are completely guaranteed to be safe. Tess is grateful for a temporary escape to its sunny shores, but the island has its own plans for the Hallidays, and they don’t include sunbathing. Following the mysterious death of Tess’s father, Philip, the sentient and controlling Demond needs a human trustee to deal with the vexed gods and squabbling legends that inhabit the island. Now that Tess is here, she’s bound by blood to stay here forever…at least, according to the island’s two-faced (literal) butler and the local goddess of the dead. Caught between a sentient rock and a criminal predicament, Tess and the kids do everything they can to find Philip’s killer and understand their place on the island where magic has been retired.
“Melissa has crafted an incredible story with ARCHAIC that resonated with me from the first time I read the proposal,” says artist Sally Cantilino. “Starting a new phase in your life can be scary, but so can coming face to face with metaphorical monsters from your past and ancestors. Tess, Theo, Aubrey and Liam all embrace the adventure with a great combination of strength and curiosity, and I can’t wait to explore the world with Tess and her family and delve into the mysteries of the island. Collaborating with Melissa as an artist to design the island and its inhabitants has been such a fun and rewarding experience, and Gab’s colors really bring it all to life.”
“I love the whole concept of this book,” says Sarah Litt, Senior Editor at AHOY. “Where do the Old Gods retire? Melissa nails it all, and Sally’s art and Gab’s colors really bring it all to life. Working with this team has been so wonderful, and I feel so lucky to have it all work out the way it has.”
ARCHAIC will be published by AHOY Comics, the independent publisher best known for SECOND COMING, the controversial satirical novel by Mark Russell, Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk, in which Jesus Christ resumes his divine mission. The company is the brainchild of journalist and satirist Hart Seely (Publisher), an award-winning reporter whose humor and satire has appeared in The New York Times and National Public Radio, comic book writer Tom Payer (Editor in Chief), and cartoonist Frank Camuso (Chief Creative Officer). AHOY Comics launched five years ago with four acclaimed comic magazines featuring longform comics, poetry, prose fiction and cartoons.
ARCHAIC #1 will be available in comic shops nationwide on December 4, 2024.
