AWA Studios and Vertigo Entertainment have announced THE RISING, an oversized one‑shot comic from Gregory Widen and artist Laci, arriving September 23, 2026 as part of The Future of Fear anthology.
Premise
Set in a declining military town in the Badlands, THE RISING follows Ray and his daughter Atty as the nearby intercontinental ballistic missile base shutters. Strange system anomalies and the baffling movements of six coma patients tied to an old accident suggest something beneath the silos is coming back to life. As the facility begins to behave in incomprehensible ways, the story escalates toward an existential threat that could extend far beyond the town.
Creative team and format
- Writer/creator: Gregory Widen
- Artist: Laci
- Cover art: Tim Bradstreet
- Colors: Miroslav Mrva
- Lettering: AndWorld Design
- Length: 72 pages; oversized one‑shot
The title is described as merging grounded small‑town elements with large‑scale horror, illustrated to emphasize both the alien and the familiar. Widen, whose credits include genre work in film, spent time with crews involved in decommissioning missile sites as part of his research for the story.
Series context and distribution
THE RISING continues The Future of Fear, a cross‑platform initiative from AWA and Vertigo that aims to develop new horror properties across comics and screen. Previous entries mentioned as part of the initiative include LOOK OUT and KILL OR BE KILLED. AWA and Vertigo say titles in the collection will be developed for film and television as part of a unified pipeline.
According to the announcement, THE RISING will be available digitally and in brick‑and‑mortar comic retailers on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
Source: Horror Society