Media Release -- When the Blue Dragon dies, six stars fall out of the night sky! Ailing Master Long, leader of the Mighty Zodiac, orders his warriors to gather the stars, lest they fall into the hands of the malevolent Moon Rabbit Army. With the stars, the Mighty Zodiac may yet revive their master, rescue their world, and restore the light. Without the stars, the darkness threatens to divide the tribes and destroy Gaya...

MIGHTY ZODIAC #1 (OF 6)
(W) J. Torres
(A/CA) Corin Howell with Maarta Laiho
Retailer incentive alternate cover illustrated by Gurihiru
Fried Pie Comics interconnecting variant cover illustrated by Leila Del Duca
Age Range: 7 and up
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Price: $3.99

Why It's Neat:

Written by comics veteran J. Torres (Teen Titans Go!, Do-Gooders), this epic fantasy reimagines the zodiac myth for a new generation.

Artist Corin Howell (Transformers: Windblade, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and colorist Maarta Laiho (Lumberjanes, Adventure Time) bring the story to life with their beautiful art.

Like Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, this all-ages series will appeal to both young readers and older audiences!

Perfect for fans of Blacksad, Usagi Yojimbo, and Zootopia.

Alternate cover illustrated by the popular artist team Gurihiru (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Gwenpool)!

What the creators have to say:

Writer J. Torres says,"Zodiac means "circle of animals" and The Mighty Zodiac are a clan of animal warriors based on the Chinese Zodiac who act as peacekeepers, defenders of the weak, righters of wrongs. While other myths explain why those particular twelve animals were chosen to be in the zodiac, we have our own explanation and backstory as part of our world building. It's a big, diverse cast of characters who have been fun to flesh out and make distinct and entertaining in a sprawling world of magic and fantasy and butt-kicking action. Who doesn't want to see a dog wielding a samurai sword and a cat with a bow and arrow take down some rabbit invaders from the moon?"

Artist Corin Howell says, "The most exciting things to draw have been the action sequences, anything with movement is a lot of fun to draw. The most challenging is a giant crowd scene full of bunnies and I have to draw each of those bunnies as a ninja."

Colorist Maarta Laiho says, "There are so many great characters, it will be impossible to pick just one as your favorite. The story itself is so rich with magic and mythology, that I hope readers will find themselves drawn into this world."

What people are saying:

"The Mighty Zodiac is a mythic adventure that already reads like a classic. Can't wait for more!" Jim Zub (Wayward, Samurai Jack)

"A fun concept wrapped in fantastic art. Excited for more!" Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space)

"The Mighty Zodiac feels like one of the coolest animated films from my childhood. Except it just came out...and it's a graphic novel!" Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy)

"Mighty start to a magical adventure. I'm a big fan of J. Torres' work, and clever use of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac makes it a winner for me, my parents, and my kids." Amy Chu (Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death)

"J. Torres has a pretty consistent track record of good comics, from "Copybook Tales" to "Teen Titans Go" to "Days Like These" to "Jinx" to about a dozen other titles I could name. [...] [Corin Howell's] work on the recent "Bat-Mite" not only impressed me but also made me wish for a book where she could work those artistic muscles without having to conform to a setting seemingly designed to play against her every instinct. Looks like the stars aligned for me to get my wish!" Multiversity Comics, "Soliciting Multiversity: The "Best of the Rest" for April 2016"

"It's heartening to see Oni's newest titles demonstrating the imaginative, important, and highly original stories that diverse creators have to tell." The Mary Sue

MIGHTY ZODIAC #1