Kirk Scroggs, whose monstrous middle-grade graphic novel The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid is available now, will be writing and illustrating another book for DC: We Found a Monster.
Both books are full-color journal-style graphic novels comprised of prose, artwork, and comic book panel pages. Some pages are even designed to appear as though they have suffered wear and tear. The net effect is that readers will get a chance to feel like they are actually reading the protagonist’s well-worn personal notebooks (complete with thorny warnings for those who dare pick up the book without permission).
In addition to brand-new characters, the books also feature guest-starring roles from well-known DC characters.
When it comes to monster pedigree, these books have some serious clout. One example is the name of Swamp Kid’s alter ego, Russell Weinwright, which pays homage to the creators of Swamp Thing, Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Plus, creator Scroggs has a long history of working with monsters already, having written and illustrated ten entries in the Wiley and Grampa’s Creature Features series.
While The Secret Spiral of Swap Kid followed Russell Weinwright’s day-to-day experiences as a kid in school who is a little bit different than his classmates, in an interview with the LA Times, Scroggs said that they’d be going “full monster” for the upcoming We Found a Monster.
The story will follow Kacie, who is exploring the town with a friend when they stumble upon a monster. But the discovery leads to more monster encounters. Not only will there be appearances from nearly-forgotten DC monsters, but creatures from folklore will make appearances, as well.
We Found a Monster will be available in autumn 2021, and The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid is available today at your local comic shop.
