Creators Ted Naifeh and Warren Wucinich Team up for an All-new YA Tale
PORTLAND, OR., May 1, 2019 — It’s a pocket full of comics adorning the first day of May! Oni Press is delighted to announce that there is room for doom and gloom, featuring the surprise digital release of Kriss #1, a new dark, gothic tale by Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, Princess Ugg) and Warren Wucinich (Invader ZIM), with a new digital issue each month, leading up to the trade release in September.
For fans of The Graveyard Book and Through the Woods comes a different kind of young adult fantasy, in which a teen boy's search for his destiny leads him into darkness.
Lean, ghostly pale, and permanently grim-faced, Kriss has always been an outsider in his small village. Not even his adoptive parents love him. Only Anja, the blacksmith's daughter, brings kindness and friendship into the life of the sullen teenager. But Kriss is haunted by dim memories of his true father, Erikk Iron Tooth, the king of Darkovia.
When Anja's mother is killed by a wild sabercat from the far north, the young girl's world is shattered, and Kriss determines to avenge her. Armed with only a pitchfork, the skinny teen sets out to kill the beast, only to learn that it's actually a dark spirit from Darkovia, come to bring him his destiny. The spirit grants Kriss the power to vanquish the mightiest foes, and commands him to reclaim his father's kingdom. But his gift of power comes with a price — uncontrollable rage. And leaving the village would mean leaving Anja, the only person who's always been there for him. Kriss must choose between his destiny and Anja, who needs his friendship more than ever. But his growing power, and the fiery anger that comes with it, threatens to make the choice for him, and burn everything he holds dear.
“Everyone always asks why I only write female characters. I never had a good answer, so I thought I'd try writing a male protagonist,” said Ted Naifeh. “Warren did a magnificent job coloring Courtney Crumrin and Princess Ugg, so I'm delighted to see him take the wheel and design a whole story world.”
“Ted has a wonderful knack for turning tropes on their heads, and I feel privileged working with him in bringing this new tale to readers,” said Warren Wucinich. “Stories like Kriss are exactly the kind of stories I got into comics to tell.”
Kriss: The Gift of Wrath trade paperback was announced in January 2019, and is slated for release on September 17th, 2019. The first issue is now available for review, as well as the preview! You can find Kriss #1 available on Comixology, Google Play, and more.