The SPCU (Sweet Paprika Comics Universe) is expanding! The hit erotic romance series from creator Mirka Andolfo is getting a queer spinoff, Sweet Paprika: Open for Business, from writer Steve Orlando and artist Emilio Pilliu.
“When Steve proposed that we follow up on the story he and Emilio had done for Sweet Paprika: Black White & Pink #1, we didn’t think twice,” said Andolfo via a press release provided to Comic Book Club. “The more I read this comic, the more I think I’m a little envious because I would have liked to have done it myself… It’s amazing, deep (no pun intended), funny, 100% Paprika-style. And Emilio is a fantastic artist and colorist. The Arancia team and I are lucky to have such great creators on board, and I can’t wait for fans to read the story because I’m sure they will have as much fun as I’m having!”
The five-issue series comes from Image Comics and Arancia Studio, and follows Aubrey Jean, an employee of Miss Paprika trying to navigate life, his job, and his friends-with-benefits relationship with a guy named Persica. The open relationship is thrown for a loop by another character, Kren… Just as Aubrey is given the tough job of handling an eccentric author named Durian.
“As a writer keen on getting folks excited about my work and that of my collaborators, I’ve been known to engage in hyperbole. But even so, without hesitation, I’ve never had a blast working on a book like I have with Sweet Paprika: Open for Business—it’s my favorite book to write, every month,” said Orlando. “And not just that—I’ve never synched with a collaborator like I do with Emilio. He’s subletted my brain and is elevating every single panel beyond my wildest dreams! Open for Business is raw, it’s real, it’s provocative, but most of all—it’s fun! It’s my first office comedy, and I’ve never loved working with a cast as much as this one! I can’t wait for you to meet them!”
Added Pilliu, “I hope I do not sound pretentious, but Sweet Paprika: Open For Business is like it was tailor-made for me. The excesses, the romantic parts, the serious ones, the comic scenes, and the spicy ones…it’s all perfect, and it’s all that I love to draw. I don’t think it happens often in an artist’s life to work on something and feel totally comfortable!”
Sweet Paprika: Open for Business #1 hits stores on November 6, 2024, but you can get a first look at NSFW interior pages and covers, below. And click for larger versions!
