SHP Comics has announced a new limited series adapting the Old English poem, Beowulf, for a young adult audience. Today, The Beat can reveal the details of the upcoming comic, aptly titled B.O. Wolf.
Written by Darin S. Cape and illustrated by Elban, B.O. Wolf is a manga-inspired, dual-timeline story that follows parallel stories. In one, Beowulf plays out. In the other, a monster relentlessly bullies a group of middle schoolers who use tabletop roleplaying games to escape their real lives.
Here’s the full synopsis:
B.O. Wolf is a dual-timeline series that interweaves the epic of Beowulf with life in the 1980s. A monster stalks the halls of a middle school, a relentless bully tormenting a group of kids who escape into the fantasy world of their role-playing adventures. But as the game begins to mirror their lives, they’ll need a hero of their own. Blending myth and modern fantasy, the series explores the many faces of evil, and how courage, imagination, and resistance endure.
Check out interior art below, as well as issue #1 cover art by Reksa Xavi P.
“B.O. Wolf asks a simple question: What does a monster look like today? By connecting the world of Beowulf to the lives of teens facing real challenges, we’re showing that the battle between good and evil never really changes, it just takes new forms,” said SHP Publisher Shawn Hainsworth.
“My goal in starting SHP Comics was to create a catalog of stories that are unique, bringing a damn-the-torpedoes, genre-bending approach to readers of all ages. In short, I wanted to create the type of work that I want to read. I believe there is a significant audience hungry for bold, character-driven work that feels different from the competition. As a small, indie publisher whose only goal is to develop unique stories, we’re able to take risks, and push the envelope of storytelling, genre, art, and in some cases, good taste,” Hainsworth continued.
“Our tag line is ‘Comics on the Edge’ and I want each story to live up to that ideal. In our Tales From EroTech anthology, we gave eight top-tier indie creators a free hand to create any story they wanted without limitations. The only rule was that the story had to include an anthropomorphic sex robot. The result is a remarkable reflection of the current state of indie comics, completely unhinged (in a good way).
“Our goal is for readers and retailers to become fans of the brand. Woodstake is a vampire-comedy soaked in the ethos of the 1960s and EroTech is an office comedy where sexual politics meet sex robots,” Hainsworth said. “Even if you are not typically a fan of horror or sex robots (who are you?), we want you to pick up a new SHP issue #1 and say, ‘What are those crazy cats over at SHP up to this time?'”
B.O. Wolf #1 will be available digitally and at your local comic shop on July 1.
