Before he hit it big with Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, Patrick Horvath created Free For All, the story of billionaires fighting to the death when they don’t want to don’t half their fortunes to better the Earth. This utopian premise sat around for a while until a Zoop campaign brought it back last year. And now Oni Press is sending the 56-page story to bookstores later this year. And it’s wild to think that this story created in 2017 is even more pressing and important today, in 2025.
In the book, Ted Brooks is one of the richest men in the world, and has won 22 bouts as part of the World Finance League. But things change when his ex-wife, Luella Dominguez, is next up to bat. And by “bat” I mean “beat someone to death with a bat.”
The viciously satirical book is most prescient in terms of how we think of billionaires, and how billionaires think of their money. In essence, any billionaire is truly a dragon, sitting on a pile of gold. Nobody needs that much wealth, and the only reason they would need it because they don’t want others to have it. That’s something Horvath delves heavily into in the dueling philosophies of Ted and Luella. And on the flip side, the people watching the matches are split between the “no death is worth it” crowd, and the people second screening the fight, despite literally sitting in the audience.
While as one of those people in the crowd it’s initially off-putting to see Horvath treats us regular folk… That’s kind of what we’re doing, right? Look at me, for example, tippity-typing my meaningless little comic book review on a website that no billionaire will read in a zillion years. And even if they did by some happenstance, it’s not going to impact them one bit. We’re flies buzzing fifteen miles away from their ears while they focus on the only people in the arena who mean anything to them: each other.



Outside of the story and my own, personal self-loathing, it’s neat to see how Horvath has grown in leaps and bounds as an artist these past few years. While the violence is abrupt and as shocking as in his breakout book, there’s a clear progression of confidence from Free For All (which was drawn seven years ago) and Beneath the Trees. There’s also, for what it’s worth, a shot that clearly paints a pulverized human head to look reminiscent of a pig. Perhaps that’s where Beneath the Trees came from?
Regardless of delving into this book looking for Horvath: Origins, there is the timely nature of this. It’s hard to imagine a world where billionaires will ever be forced to give up any of their wealth, considering they control the world’s governments (or are working towards that). So rather than a horror story, Free For All as a dream of a better world. Even if there are people killing each other.
Free For All #1 hits stores on March 26, 2025.
Free For All #1 Rating:
Free For All #1 Official Synopsis:
From Eisner Award–nominated writer/artist Patrick Horvath (Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees) comes a 56-page, self-contained one-shot that delivers a brutal new vision of capitalism by combat . . .
In the future, the World Finance League exists to benefit all, randomly choosing those from among the billionaires and trillionaires of the world and presenting them with a choice: either donate half of their assets to the common good—or defend them in ritual combat.
Reigning champion and real estate magnate Ted Brooks has 22 victories under his belt—defending the wealth he schemed and stabbed to get—when he is forced to face his ex-wife, Luella Dominguez, in a fight to the death. Luella has been training, waiting for this moment. But will she have what it takes to defeat the man who would do anything—absolutely anything—to keep his fortune?
It’s every shareholder for themselves when death and bankruptcy collide in Free for All #1, a giant-sized, one-shot spectacle of commerce and carnage coming this March from Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist Patrick Horvath!
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