This article has been updated with details on Booher and Zucker’s presence at San Diego Comic-Con.
Canto is returning to Dark Horse Comics, with a new ongoing series, The Clockwork Chronicles, written with art respectively again by creators David M. Booher and Drew Zucker. The book, also featuring colors by Vittorio Astone, and lettering by AndWorld Design, follows the titular little knight with a clockwork heart as he embarks on new adventures across the Mechanical Sea, to the Forgotten Isles and beyond.
The synopsis elaborates “the small knight with a big heart travels the Unnamed World to help those in need. That mission takes him to the mysterious Forgotten Isles, where jungle fauna mixes with strange machines. What happened to the Forgotten People who once lived there? [But] that mystery must wait when catastrophe befalls his best friend Mico the Malorex. Will Canto’s courage be enough to save his companion? Or will their journey end at the bottom of the Mechanical Sea?”
Booher comments, “Canto has always lived in an expansive world, full of undiscovered stories about courage and adventure and helping others. That’s why the new ongoing series The Clockwork Chronicles is about expanding the adventures for new readers meeting the character for the first time. The whole team has worked hard to keep the magic that makes Canto so captivating while launching an exciting new era of stories.”
Zucker adds, “Canto has always been a story designed to bring readers new and seasoned to his world. When we completed The Shrouded Man Saga and began to talk about what Canto’s adventures would look like going forward, we knew we had more stories to tell and worlds to explore. With that, we have brought to life The Clockwork Chronicles, setting Canto on a whole new journey for those who have already discovered Canto, and those coming to the adventure for the first time. The entire team has invested heavily into this next part of the story, and we can’t wait to take those first steps with all of you.”
Created at IDW in 2019, Canto ran for five series and a one-shot, before relocating to Dark Horse in 2024. The last series, A Place Like Home, was released then and there, along with four hardcover collections of the previous comics. Along with the new series, Dark Horse will launch a fan club and newsletter, the Canto Corps, offering prizes and more, including the chance to have fan art, cosplay, and more shared in the comic’s letters pages.
The Clockwork Chronicles #1 will be released on November 18, and go for pre-order on Friday, July 24. It will have a main cover by Zucker and Astone, and variants by Duncan Fegredo, Lukas Ketner, and Mr. Oz, which you can check out below. (Ketner’s in particular will be the first in a series of collectible “vintage pulp” incentives.) In the meantime, you can read an ashcan via the Canto Corps page.
Booher and Zucker will also be present at San Diego Comic-Con, where their schedule will include an ashcan and exclusive print signing at Dark Horse’s booth (#2615) on Thursday, July 23 (at 2:10–3pm); a signing at El Rey Comics Booth (#2302) on Friday, at 3:30pm; a Whatnot livestream at 9am on Saturday; and another livestream on Sunday at 6pm. The pair will also attend Dark Horse’s panel 40 Years of Comics Nerds at 12pm, Sunday, in Room 7AB. Stay tuned to The Beat for more news from SDCC ’26.
