A Folk Horror Nightmare Blooms in the Desert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

MARCH 21, 2025 (PORTLAND, OR) — There’s a bad seed taking root in Eden…

Mad Cave Studios is proud to announce BLUE PALO VERDE, a gripping folk-horror miniseries from Eisner-nominated writer Ray Fawkes (Underwinter, One Soul, Constantine) and Indonesian comic artist and illustrator Rimanti, with colors by GS20 Studio’s Rifan Kartakusumah, with famed letterer Frank Cvetkovic (The Airless Year)!

With an atmosphere thick with suspense and haunting imagery—from the golden petals of the Palo Verde flowers to the eerie presence of a goddess whose love binds the town together—Blue Palo Verde asks: What if people truly figured out how to bring paradise to Earth, and you were the one destined to destroy it?

On her first day out of jail, Kristine Woods discovers that her father has disappeared into a mysterious isolated town hidden in the New Mexico desert. Now it’s up to her to find him and rescue him from a bizarre and unnatural threat. An atmospheric folk-horror story of dread and redemption set in the American Southwest, starting in June 2025!

“I’m incredibly proud to see Blue Palo Verde realized as something just as creepy, just as weird and beautiful and off-kilter, as I always imagined and hoped it could be,” said writer Ray Fawkes. “Thanks to the incredible team assembled at Mad Cave, and especially to my artists, Rimanti, as well as Rifan Kartakusumah, who’ve brought all the madness to life! This book is about connection and hope in a seemingly senseless, violent world, something that I think is on our minds a lot in this day and age, and it means a lot to me!”

“Amid my move to the United States, I was given the incredible opportunity to illustrate Blue Palo Verde,” said artist Rimanti. “As a total rookie in the industry, I can’t thank Mad Cave and my project manager, Rifan, enough for their patience and support while I tackled the steep learning curve. Their guidance has been invaluable, and I’m beyond grateful. Blue Palo Verde marks my debut in the American comic scene.”

“I’m very grateful to Mad Cave for trusting me and Rimanti to work on Blue Palo Verde,” said colorist Rifan Kartakusumah. “This is my first project with a big publisher as a colorist after so many indie projects I’ve worked on. I am very grateful for this opportunity.”

Remember, nothing you do is without consequence. Blending the psychological terror of Midsommar with the gripping dread of The Wicker Man, Blue Palo Verde takes readers on a mind-bending journey into the heart of horror, family bonds, and the cost of salvation.

Blue Palo Verde #1 arrives in comic shops on June 11, featuring Cover A by Rimanti and Cover B by Marguerite Sauvage, and is now available for preorder!