Never retreat in battle, under pain of mortal sin. The highly-anticipated first issue of our newest fantasy adventure series from Matt Emmons (THE COUNCIL OF FROGS, DAGGER DAGGER, GARDENER) and Andriy Lukin (LOWER YOUR SIGHTS, DOWN BELOW, DAGGER DAGGER), Crusader, is now available!
Follow the journey of the nameless Templar, Crusader, as he finds himself spirited away to the mythical Beastlands whilst following his holy quest. In these strange lands, he finds himself face to face with goblins, deathless ghouls, and the sinister Masters that strike fear into the hearts of its denizens. Can the Crusader make peace with himself, and with the inhabitants of this new realm, in order to make it back home?
CRUSADER #1
Writer & Artist: Matt Emmons – Letterer: Andriy Lukin
Release Date: September 6th, 2023
In addition to being a fun and pulpy action-adventure fantasy series, Matt Emmons notes a personal connection to the series; “I was raised Catholic, though never really engaged with it or practiced beyond when I was required to. I’ve struggled trying to reconcile how contradictory some of the most extreme versions of faith can be. It’s a common feeling I’ve found with others that feel like we have to unlearn that we don’t have to follow a certain belief system in order to be “”good”” and that sometimes we really do need to question systems in place rather than be party to them. The Crusader at the center of the story, struggles with a much more exaggerated version of that, trying to survive during a crisis of faith and return for the better.”
To celebrate this all-new series, we’ve teamed up with legendary illustrators Artyom Trakhanov (UNDERTOW, ENFORCER) and Jonathan Luna (THE SWORD, SPIDER WOMAN: ORIGIN) to create two limited-edition Mad Cave Exclusive variant covers of the highly-anticipated Crusader #1!
Limited to a print run of 100 each, be sure to collect your very own copy before they vanish into the ether!
CRUSADER #1
1/100 MAD CAVE EXCLUSIVE VARIANT
Cover Artist: Artyom Trakhanov
CRUSADER #1
1/100 MAD CAVE EXCLUSIVE VARIANT
Cover Artists: Jonathan Luna
Writer/Illustrator, Matt Emmons
Matt Emmons is a cartoonist based in Philadelphia. Raised on a healthy diet of 80s monster movies, he now spends his time making comics about creatures and robots of his own.
“Crusader has been a fun challenge! I’ve been trying to capture the feeling of a pulpy, fun adventure story that embodies everything I’ve loved about the genre, and I hope it translates. I’ve also been wanting to draw Pilgrim in action for years, so it’s very exciting to finally bring him to the page.” – Matt Emmons
Letterer, Andriy Lukin
Andriy Lukin is a comic book creator and graphic designer from Sumy, Ukraine. As a letterer, Andriy won Mad Cave Studios’ Talent Search 2022 and his works were published in a variety of books, including Lower Your Sights, Down Below & Dagger Dagger. He also specializes in creating logotypes, book design and cover art for comic books, music albums, tabletop games and other art forms.
“Crusader is a fun, adventurous title that won’t leave fantasy fans disappointed. It’s a story of reevaluating your goals and principles, filled with awesome art, memorable characters and great action scenes! I’m very excited to help Matt Emmons with his artistic vision and I hope our readers will appreciate the work we put into this series!” – Andriy Lukin
Crusader is now available on the official Mad Cave Studios website, at your favorite bookstore, local comic shop, and digital comic reader!
Mad Cave Studios is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded by Mark London in 2014 driven by madness and committed to quality. For additional information, visit madcavestudios.com.
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