In Stores July 7, 2026, Preorder Available Now
Welcome to Kloud 9! Kal and Cosmo are teen boys in love. It should be simple—except that Cosmo’s an alien deserter on the run from an intergalactic peacekeeping force! Kloud 9: The Star Soldier is the Top Shelf YA sci-fi debut graphic novel from author AJ O. Mason and illustrator Dominic Bustamante, releasing July 7, 2026. Kloud 9: The Star Soldier follows teenager Kal, an Earthling without much purpose in life. Cosmot’urr Col Al’neyr, or Cosmo for short, is an alien struggling to find his place in the galaxy. Sparks fly when the two meet—but when Cosmo’s past catches up with him, Kal is forced to make a choice: remain on Earth or follow his crush into the great unknown. Easy choice, right? Now they just have to navigate the dangers of outer space, a megalomaniac pseudoparent, and their growing feelings for each other. Yeah. It’s complicated.
“It’s a cliche at this point, but Kloud 9: The Star Soldier really is a love letter to all the sci-fi and fantasy stories I was obsessed about as a child and a teen: Star Wars,Dragon Ball Z, Atlantis, Sinbad (the animated movie), and many more!” said author AJ O. Mason. “I hope people get lost in the world I created alongside my best friend in comics, Dominic Bustamante, let their imagination run wild, and perhaps find themselves in one of our characters or their struggles. I’m beyond grateful for the great people at IDW/Top Shelf for believing in what we set out to accomplish in this beautiful 272-page book (that’s also the first part of a trilogy)!”
“This has been the most surreal experience working on this project, considering I started off with these characters in a short 10 page comic, and now their journey is fully realized into a whole book, let alone a trilogy series,” said illustrator Dominic Bustamante. “And to top it off, I’m fortunate to have worked on it with my best friend, AJ O. Mason. Early on when we were developing Kloud 9, I told AJ that I wanted the world and story to encapsulate all the feelings we have about outer space – wonder, excitement, sadness, and even horror. I’m so excited to finally release the book into the world so that it no longer belongs to just us, and I hope that these characters and the fantastical locations they visit can feel like a friend to all readers out there.”
Kloud 9: The Star Soldier will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color softcover graphic novel (ISBN: 978-1-60309-594-5) as well as a digital edition, on July 7, 2026, for a list price of $19.99. For more information please visit the Top Shelf web site.
About the Author
AJ O. Mason is a Jewish comic book writer, playwright, and theater director. His work includes the crime miniseries Headcases and an all-ages spooky graphic novella for Team Wang Design called Under the Castle. AJ’s current obsessions are theater, anime, and alternative hip-hop.
About the Illustrator
Dominic Bustamante is a Filipino Canadian illustrator specializing in covers and sequential art. He graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. He adores superheroes, fairy tales, and things of the supernatural variety