AHOY Comics Releases New Mythological Murder Mystery Comic Book “Archaic” This December!

AHOY Comics has announced a new comic book series titled Archaic to debut on December 4, 2024. The upcoming story can be described as a modern-day action-adventure with a family that finds themselves on an island populated by mythological beings. And yes, a murder mystery is involved.

Written by Melissa F. Olson (Project: Cryptid, Dead Spots) with artist Sally Cantirino (I Walk With Monsters) and colorist Gab Contreras (Witchblood), Archaic is said to be a “fast-paced mystery” that will also explore what happens to legends of old when they aren’t needed by the world any longer.

The narrative will follow Tess Halliday, who finds herself off-grid along with her children after her ex-husband decides to steal from some bad people. Tess has a teenage stepson named Teo and 10-year-old twins Audrey and Liam. When Tess’ biological father Phillip dies, Tess finds herself in possession of a tiny coastal island off North Carolina called Demonde. The island includes a mansion and a trust along with a guarantee of safety for Tess and her children. Of course, Tess takes her family to Demonde. But things aren’t what they seem.

Turns out, the island is sentient and it requires a human trustee to handle the “resident frustrated gods and squabbling legends.” Apparantly, Tess is bound by blood to stay and continue her father’s duties. Uh-oh!

The strange turn of events leads Tess and the kids to try and figure out the truth behind Phillip’s death and possibly find a way to regain their freedom.

I find the premise of Archaic to be quite interesting. I like how the lead is older, especially when most fantasy-centric stories focus on young adults or kids, with the parents being oblivious to their adventures or playing minor roles.

With mothers known to face a whole lot to protect their family, let’s see how Tess fares when standing in front of gods and other similar entities.

Also, from what I can tell, I think the fictional Demonde will house gods and fantastical beasts from across the globe. So, I’m looking forward to seeing how Olson will handle such a mix of lore. The entire thing is giving me Percy Jackson vibes, but if everyone was stuck on a living island.

And yes, I do think that the people after Tess will make their way to the island and that’s going to cause some even more drama for our leads. Hopefully, Tess can convince certain mythological beings to be on her side and help manage certain issues.

As for Olson, she’s the author of more than a dozen books in the Old World universe, the PI mystery The Big Keep, and numerous short stories and novellas, including the Nightshades trilogy for Tor.com. She speaks about issues related to genre, feminism, writing, and parenting. You can learn more about her by visiting MelissaFOlson.com.

Releasing December 4, 2024, Archaic issue 1 will feature a main cover by Cantirino, as well as variant covers from Liana Kangas and Emma Vieceli.

I plan to at least read the debut issue. What about you?

Let us know. And you can read more of our comic book coverage here.

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(via Press Release)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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