Mad Cave Studios Launches Young Adult Imprint, Maverick

Mad Cave Studios continues to expand its offering, announcing a new young adult graphic novel imprint called Maverick. Launching in Fall 2021, the line-up will include bi-monthly releases. The debut slate includes Nightmare in Savannah, World Class, Needle & Thread, Good Game, Well Played, and Of Her Own Design. Mad Cave Studios Editor-in-Chief, Chris Sanchez will oversee every Maverick title, working closely with the editorial staff and the creators.

Sanchez says:

For over a year, I have been working with an incredible group of creators making books that are brimming with passion, creativity, and love for the human experience. I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to create a space in comics that I wish I had growing up. My hope is that Maverick becomes a place where readers can find stories that mirror their own and understand that they’re not alone in their struggles.

Check out the details of each launch title below:

Nightmare in Savannah
(W) Lela Gwenn (A/CO/CA) Rowan MacColl (L) Micah Myers 
Football is a religion where Adrian “The Colombian Cannon” Molina comes from, and thanks to his wicked right leg he has a clear shot at the promised land of the European Junior Leagues. But when a football scout offers him a full scholarship to an elite prep school in London, the news seems too good to be true. His enrollment hits a snag upon meeting the team’s star striker, Titan Evans. Titan is everything Adrian is not — rich, powerful, and connected. Most of all, Titan possesses a hunger to dominate the pitch no matter who or what stands in his way. The constant fighting, teasing, and bullying intensifies Adrian’s crippling anxiety as he is constantly concerned for his spot on the team. All of that changes the day Luciano DeSilva, the team’s star midfielder, takes him under his wing and gives Adrian the confidence to be himself and value not only his position on the team but in the world.

World Class
(W) Jay Sandlin (A/CA) Patrick Mullholland (CO) Rebecca Nalty (L) Justin Birch
Football is a religion where Adrian Molina, aka The Colombian Cannon, comes from, and thanks to his wicked right leg, he has a clear shot at the promised land of the European Junior Leagues. But when a football scout offers him a full scholarship to an elite prep school in London, the news seems too good to be true. His enrollment hits a snag upon meeting the team’s star striker, Titan Evans. Titan is everything Adrian is not — rich, powerful, and connected. Most of all, Titan possesses a hunger to dominate the pitch no matter who or what stands in his way. The constant fighting, teasing and bullying cause Adrian to experience crippling anxiety as he is constantly concerned for his spot on the team. All of that changes the day Luciano DeSilva, the team’s star midfielder takes him under his wing and gives Adrian the confidence to be himself and value not only his position on the team but in the world.

Needle & Thread
(W) David Pinckney (A/CO/CA) Ennun Ana Lurov (L) Micah Myers
Choosing between living the life you want and living the life your “supposed to” is not always an easy choice. Noah, embracing his truest-self, wants to pursue a career in costume design, something his loving, but traditional, parents would never approve of. Azarie, the perfect, model daughter of a very stern, political family, dreams of embracing the hobbies she secretly loves, hobbies her social circle would never abide by. The two live different lives and their social statuses keep them from ever crossing paths until they have a chance encounter that exposes some common ground: the desire to live the life they’ve chosen for themselves. Together, the two set out to put it all on the line and show everyone who they really are and what they want to achieve through the unlikely medium of cosplay. Their friendship will be tested and their faith in themselves and each other will be tried, but by staying true to themselves they discover that they truly need each other.

Good Game, Well Played
(W) Rachael Smith (A/CO/CA) Katherine Lobo (L) Justin Birch
It’s 2005, and Sienna is really not looking forward to flying back into her hometown to say goodbye to one of the people she called family. Though that feels like a lifetime ago.
It’s 1999. And Sienna is looking forward to what is shaping up to be the Perfect Summer in her Perfect Life. She has a job working in the local video game store, Game Champ, with her four best friends, and that’s how it was going to be forever… At least that’s what they thought, until Jason Silver, the money-hungry landlord threatened to shut down the store. Now, the kids must work together to save Game Champ, but with Art’s huge crush on Sienna, Jo’s crippling self-doubt, Sid’s obsession with his band, and Hope’s mysterious living situation getting in the way… how likely are they to succeed?

Of Her Own Design
(W) Birdie Willis (A/CA) Jess Taylor (CO) Stephanie Palladino
In the small town of Holden, sixteen-year-old Brie Page has been struggling with a tremendous bout of writer’s block. And that’s a problem. One of many she has, actually. Parents that constantly fight, her former best friend/current bully Viv Kinsley, and the gorgeous new girl Kay Ardiger are causing a bit of stress. Brie used to hide from it all by creating her own fictional worlds and stories, but all of that seems so far away now.
All of that changes when an unexpected encounter with a mischievous bookseller, Ambrose Chance, leaves Brie with a magical pen. One that breaks through her writer’s block and causes her stories to flow onto the page… Too bad the whole town of Holden had to get caught up in it too when her stories come to life. Now, when the most important people in her life are stuck in fantastical tales, Brie needs to save them by diving into her worlds and facing her worries head-on. Which would be fine… if only she was better at writing endings.
Mad Cave Studios is joining a number of other publishers that are all realizing how much kids love comics and reading. This is great news for the industry as a whole and I can’t wait to check out these titles.