A love letter to slasher tropes with a Creepypasta twist! Mad Cave studios is pleased to announce THE SLASHER’S APPRENTICE, a gripping five-issue miniseries from acclaimed creators Justin Richards (Finger Guns) and Val Halvorson (Pareidolia) comes to life this NCBD with vibrant colors by Rebecca Nalty (Vampirella Red Sonja) and lettering by Buddy Beaudoin (Corvus), with a stunning variant cover by celebrated visual artist Trevor Henderson (Dead Mall)—cementing its place as the new standout addition to the Mad Cave horror comics catalog.
Through a narrative drenched in suspense, dark humor, and clever nods to horror fandom, The Slasher’s Apprentice explores the generational divides between classic and modern horror while examining the obsession and creativity behind the genre’s most iconic killers. Riley’s ambitions extend far beyond being an apprentice—she’s ready to carve her legend, one that will reshape the rules of the slasher genre forever.
THE SLASHER’S APPRENTICE
Writer: Justin Richards – Artist: Val Halvorson
Colorist: Rebecca Nalty – Letterer: Buddy Beaudoin
Release Date: April 30th, 2025
Writer, Justin Richards
Justin Richards is a writer who mostly hides away in the mountains of the PNW and creates comic books when they’re not busy being a parent and dog dad, working at their local comic shop and occasionally gaming. They created and wrote the hit series Finger Guns from Vault Comics, have appeared in many anthologies including Lower Your Sights and Sharp Wit & the Company of Women, and have self-published A Silent Night and Everything is Different Now with the help of crowdfunding. Their work is usually full of horror, satire, music and emotional devastation. When they’re not writing they can be found playing video games, re-watching Sonic 3 or playing with their dogs.
Artist, Val Halvorson
Val Hal Halvorson is a comic book creator and horror illustrator who almost never goes outside. He is the artist for the Vault series, Finger Guns, as well as various anthologies such as Dead Beats 2, and Grimm Tales from the Cave. In addition to illustrating, he also likes to write comics and he is not kind to his characters. He wrote and illustrated the short horror comic, Pareidolia, which was featured in Panel x Panel. Junji Ito once reviewed his work positively in a video for Viz Media and he’ll never stop telling people about it. In his spare time, he consumes a ton of horror media, bakes a bunch of bread, and won’t shut up about 90’s FMV games.
For fans of Hack/Slash, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, and those craving a genre-bending exploration of revenge, legacy, and modern horror—step into the eerie world of The Slasher’s Apprentice #1, now available on the official Mad Cave Studios website, your favorite bookstore, local comic shop, and digital comic reader!
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