Mad Cave Studios’ young adult label Maverick has announced a new queer beat-em-up romantic comedy debuting next spring. Today, The Beat can exclusively reveal Beat Every 1-Up, a graphic novel written by Ran Pitts, illustrated by Joe Hunter, and text by Frank Cvetkovich.
Beat Every 1-Up follows Terror Princess Helia, a warrior who fights to save her fiancée who has been kidnapped by the villainous ape Gogo. She is joined by her friend and bodyguard, the ice witch Sidra, but as they grow closer during their harrowing journey, they realize their feelings for each other may be more than platonic.
Here’s the full synopsis:
Please listen! This is the story of the fisticuffs of Princess Helia of Terror! A born fighter since childhood, Helia is forced to depart for the wider world when her soon-to-be husband is forced to take a groom’s nap on his wedding day by Gogo, a ferocious ape and aspiring world conqueror. But what does the sheltered princess know about other realms? As it turns out, there’s not much.
Fortunately, Helia is joined by her (only) friend and bodyguard, the ice witch Sidra. Together, the two must brave the deserts of Fraterra and the blizzards of Frostella… oh, you guessed it… until they rescue a wayward prince, thwart Gogo, and beat up every henchman they can find. And perhaps by the end of their journey, Helia and Sidra will realize that their connection is more than just friendship…
Check out the Beat Every 1-Up interior and cover art below.
“If Beat Every 1-Up had dropped when I was a kid, it would have rewired my brain,” Pitts said. “I would draw these characters in the margins of every notebook and try to recreate fight scenes in my backyard. It’s about fists, feel, and first love. It’s the kind of story I didn’t know we needed at the time, and I’m proud to be able to help bring it to the world now.”
Hunter added: “I’m so proud to be working with Ran on a book that’s funny and bursting with queerness. Young readers deserve to see themselves in characters like Helia and Sidra, and I can’t wait for them to learn what it means to embrace what they love (and that forced heteronormativity is a prison)!”
Beat Every 1-Up will be available wherever books are sold on March 17, 2026, and at local comic shops on March 18, 2026. Pre-orders are available now.
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