If you’ve ever wondered “how does IDW keep getting away with it??” prepare to get an answer as the publisher has just announced a brand new imprint titled IDW Crime. It joins the publisher’s horror imprint, IDW Dark, and this was a real missed opportunity to make the new crime line called IDW With Almonds but I guess that’s why they keep telling me “please keep 200 feet away from the offices, just like you were ordered by the court.”
“Crime has a deep, often under-celebrated history in comics, from hard-boiled noir to social thrillers that pushed the medium to be bolder, sharper, and more adult,” said Senior Group Editor Heather Antos via a press release provided by IDW. “With the IDW Crime imprint, we’re honoring that legacy while giving it a modern spotlight — elevating creator-driven stories that feel urgent, character-forward, and unapologetically human. These are stories about obsession, consequence, and the ability to hold a mirror up to society, and we couldn’t be more excited to help bring them back to the forefront of mainstream comics.”
Kicking off in May, the first title is Seven Wives from writer Zoe Tunnell and artists V Gagnon and Tesslyn Bergin-Dicoi. Per PR, the book is about, “Forty-nine witnesses, seven wives, one dead husband… Who’s the murderer? As two detectives investigate a death at a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints compound in remote Arizona, the dark mystery will unravel the horrors of brainwashing and deliver a compelling whodunit that will leave readers guessing until the very end.”
Then in July, Joey Esposto and Valeria Burzo tackle the true crime serial killer story Killer Influences. “Melvin’s a serial killer who craves infamy. His problem? He’s so efficient and methodical that he doesn’t have a brand and no one has connected his crimes — except for Kylie, an aspiring true crime influencer who reaches out to him, hoping his story can help her become a star. The unlikely duo will make a pact to accomplish their dreams… and destroy their lives in the process.”
And last but not least (or rather, in these first announcements) is Fixation by Amy Chase and Savanna Mayer. “When superfan Taylor Van Owens and her best friend win a contest to stay at the iconic house from their favorite hit vampire book-turned-movie franchise, the two expect a weekend getaway that will live up to every fangirls’ dream, especially with fans descending on the town and the cast reuniting to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the movie. But a young woman was found dead inside the house, and the killer’s taste for blood isn’t finished. The killer is ready to paint the town red to make sure they’ll go down in the franchise’s history. Everyone has a motive, and the most dangerous person in the room isn’t always who it seems…”
They should launch these three titles at the same time at three different casinos, that would be pretty funny.
“The titillation of being transgressive, of breaking laws and norms, of acting out and letting our more dangerous and wild selves take over is probably something everyone has felt at some point in their lives, so we all in some way can understand the allure of the outlaw,” added Senior Group Editor Jake Thomas. “But we are also hardwired to want order and justice, so we root for the hero to take down the villain. That’s why all my very sweet and sensible wife’s favorite TV shows involve murder, that’s part of why we named our kid after the great crime writer Dashiell Hammett, and that’s why I’m excited to be developing this new crime line at IDW. No other genre explores the warring impulses of humanity like crime, but it’s also a genre built on tension, pacing, character work, and crackerjack storytelling, all elements that are elemental to comics and build truly rip-roaring yarns.”
Each 40+ page first issue will cost $4.99. You can check out some of the covers, below.
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