How do you follow up “Shrouded College” books best described as “demon heist” and “vampires in space”? How about John Wick with zombies? And that’s exactly what writer Charles Soule and artist Will Sliney will deliver with Image Comics‘s The Cold Witch, the latest miniseries in the expanding universe.
“Seeing the Shrouded College universe grow with each new story has been one of the great joys of my writing career,” Soule said via press release. “Building this horror-adventure saga from scratch alongside Will Sliney, finding ways for each new chapter to be amazing on its own but part of the larger whole… and seeing fans start to understand what we’re doing and come on board… it’s the best.
“The Cold Witch is our third chapter after Hell to Pay and The Bloody Dozen, and this is where the pieces really start to come together for the larger story. It’s a revenge piece set on the frozen steppes with cool folklore horror elements, and I think it’s our best yet. Lean, mean, and paced like lightning, it’s both a great starting point if this is your first Shrouded College story and a fantastic return to the universe if you’re already a fan.”
Added Sliney, “Charles is really pushing me on this one with his scripts. While this book still delivers the high-stakes action and supernatural spy escapades we’ve come to expect from the Shrouded College, this time, our collaboration plunges even deeper into the shadows. The Cold Witch doesn’t just flirt with horror—it embraces it fully, dragging us into something far more chilling and unrelenting. Violet’s journey is one of pure, ice-cold revenge, and every step she takes is more ruthless than the last. There’s no turning back for her, and as I bring her story to life on the page, I find myself drawing things that send shivers down my spine. What she’s doing… and what I have to illustrate to capture it… is some of the most unsettling, eerie, and downright terrifying work I’ve ever tackled. This book isn’t just dark—it’s pitch black, and I can’t wait for readers to step into the cold with us.”
In the new series, a woman wronged goes to “desperate lengths” to get revenger for her murdered lover, all set on the backdrop of frozen Siberia. As with previous “Shrouded College” titles, this one will come with a “Hell Coin” incentive cover exclusive to the series, as well as a main cover by Sliney, and a “popsicle” incentive that sadly does not seem to be lickable.
The Cold Witch #1 Preview
Check out four pages and three covers from the May 14, 2025 publishing issue here! Click the thumbnails for a larger version:
The Cold Witch #1 Official Synopsis:
The next tale in the Shrouded College universe from CHARLES SOULE (EIGHT BILLION GENIES, UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY) and WILL SLINEY (HELL TO PAY, Spider-Man) is here! THE COLD WITCH is an icy tale of revenge and dark sorcery set in frozen Siberia—John Wick with zombies! The tale of a wronged woman who goes to truly desperate lengths to avenge her murdered love, THE COLD WITCH expands the “supernatural Mission: Impossible” conceit that readers found in HELL TO PAY and THE BLOODY DOZEN, while standing completely on its own. A blood-chilling adventure, perfect for horror action fans.
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