The special issue of anthology series Ice Cream Man will spotlight one-page horror stories written by some of the biggest names in comics, hitting shelves this January
Spooky genius W. Maxwell Prince (Art Brut, Swan Songs, Haha), writer and co-creator of Ice Cream Man alongside artists Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran, is teaming up with a star-studded lineup of creators for a special issue of the bestselling comic book series. Some of the biggest talent in comics, including Grant Morrison, Patton Oswalt, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Matt Fraction, Jeff Lemire, Geoff Johns, Zoe Thorogood, Deniz Camp, and Frank Barbiere, will join Prince in contributing one-page horror stories alongside art by Morazzo and O’Halloran. Ice Cream Man has rippled through the comic book scene since its debut in 2018 and was scooped up for the big screen recently by veteran writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Wednesday, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice). Along with Volume 10 of the series hitting this November, this tasty treat of a special comic will hit shelves in January 2025.
In the Ice Cream Man anthology series, mysterious horror host, Rick, delivers morsels of delicious terror in every flavor. The genre-defying comic book series features short tales of sorrow, wonder, and redemption, with each installment featuring its own cast of strange characters, dealing with their own special sundae of suffering. And on the periphery of all of them, like the twinkly music of his colorful truck, is the Ice Cream Man—a weaver of stories, a purveyor of sweet treats. Friend. Foe. God. Demon. The man who, with a snap of his fingers—lickety split!—can change the course of your life forever.
“How lucky are we? That some of comics’ most beloved writers agreed (or one may say were tricked) into contributing to our issue of one-page horror stories,” said Prince. “Our MO has always been compression—getting a full story to fit one floppy. But this is a whole new level, and a whole new challenge. We hope that you like our little stories, and hope even more that you appreciate our guests and their amazing brains.”
Ice Cream Man #43 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, January 15:
- Cover A by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
- Cover B by Maria Llovet
Ice Cream Man #43 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
The trade paperback edition of Ice Cream Man Vol. 10 takes some daffy deviations in storytelling: an Apocalypse Now full of Figglybumps; a whole town of Gary; and a 2-part decompression about decompression and compression and certain impressions those things tend to make. That familiar music is coming from around the corner…get your wallet ready! Featuring a cover by Morazzo and Prince, Ice Cream Man Vol. 10 (ISBN: 9781534397286, Lunar Code 0524IM265) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, November 20, and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones on Tuesday, December 3 (FOC October 14).
Select praise for Ice Cream Man:
“The purveyor of frosty treats is eagerly anticipated by all, but his friendly demeanor masks miraculous powers and a sinister omnipresence that links the tales…As the stories progress, hints are dropped that there is more to Rick than simply serving as a Rod Serling for this contemporary Twilight Zone…This is a perfectly bitter confection for those with a taste for short-form shockers.”—Publishers Weekly
“Don’t let the bright colors and happy smiles on the cover fool you—this comic is an anthology horror series and it’s downright terrifying. We loved it like we love mint chocolate chip ice cream, which is to say we loved it a lot.”—Nerdist
“A trippy, twisted, and surreal ride into suburban horror, and it’s just damn fun to read.” —Monkeys Fighting Robots
ABOUT W. MAXWELL PRINCE
W. Maxwell Prince writes in Brooklyn and lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats called Mischief and Mayhem. He is the author of One Week In The Library, The Electric Sublime, and Judas: The Last Days. When not writing, he tries to render all of human experience in chart form.