Oni Press is resurrecting a beloved noir series from 2017, with exciting updates to the material. In May, the publisher will re-release Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1: The Case of the Missing Men, co-created by writer Kris Bertin and artist Alexander Forbes, with a brand new cover. But wait! That’s not all. The book is now in full color thanks to Jason Fischer-Koui, who’s also signed on for Vol. 2 and more.
After Oni re-releases the first two volumes of Hobtown Mystery Stories, it will continue the series with several new, unseen volumes, beginning with Vol. 3 in 2025. This is exciting news for fans of the story, who haven’t had new material to read since 2019.
Set in the ’90s, Hobtown Mystery Stories is a horror/mystery/coming-of-age series that takes place in rural Canada. Hobtown has a population of just 2,006, and it lends itself to boredom. But Hobtown Regional High’s top girl, Dana Nance, is always on the hunt for a new mystery to solve with her fully-registered after-school program, the Teen Detective Club. Hobtown may seem boring, but for every missing pet or unexplained fire, there are also occult activities and cryptid sightings to investigate.
The stakes get even higher when infamous globetrotter Sam Finch comes to Hobtown and asks for the Teen Detective Club’s help finding his missing father. He’s the sixth man to go missing this year and there’s definitely something strange going on… but no one in Hobtown will talk.
Before the book hits shelves in May, you can read the entire first chapter of Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1: The Case of the Missing Men, right here at The Beat.
“Hobtown Mystery Stories is about the beauty and horror of the small town, and the lengths its young will go to unearth, understand, and escape its history,” said writer and co-creator Kris Bertin. “It’s also a labor of love between two best friends, a place we’ve visited for over a decade to explore and imagine together.”
Artist and co-creator Alexander Forbes said, “To have found a home for Hobtown Mystery Stories with Oni Press—and to see it in breathtaking color for the first time—is an absolute joy, and one that we’re so excited to share with new (and return) visitors to our funny little town.”
Hobtown Mystery Stories has been nominated twice for the Angoulême Sélection Fauve Polar SNCF (Favorite Mystery Series) during its initial publication with Conundrum Press. It’s ideal for fans of Twin Peaks, Nancy Drew, and even Scooby Doo, minus the talking dog.
“Hobtown is one of the most fun reading experiences I’ve had in years,” said Oni Press editor-in-chief Siera Hahn. “I was immediately swept up in the interior lives of these teens whose small-town friendships and sleuthing feel eerily familiar to my own upbringing in rural Washington. It hit a personal chord while illustrating this gorgeous and richly rendered world that asks you to linger on the page and wonder what horrors await just off panel. I’m hooked.”
Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 1 will be available everywhere books are sold on May 21. Pre-orders are available now.
cant see the preview
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