You have those comic creators that have become must-read when they drop a new book, this has been Joseph Schmalke and his Midnight Factory Press. This time around he partnered up with stellar artist Amanda Kahl for Prophets of Doom, a fresh and uniquely wild ride that has me eagerly awaiting not only more from this series, but more from these two creators.
When their fire-and-brimstone sermons fail to attract the crowds or cash they once did, three evangelical preachers hatch a desperate plan to rebuild their flocks and line their pockets with the help of a forbidden text.
Their plan: summon five ancient evils to invade Heaven on a suicide mission, triggering a mini-Apocalypse and putting butts back in their pews.
When you open up a Schmalke penned story, you know you are in for a treat. The veteran comic creator always has something crazy up his sleeve and with Prophets of Doom is shady ass religious folk who decide to go a bit too far for their own personal gain. As you can imagine, it doesn’t go as planned. Conjuring evil forces to start a mini-Apocalypse to get people to follow their sermons sounds like a great idea on paper (maybe not), but when executed it doesn’t seem like things are going to go all that well (what a surprise, right?).
Schmalke takes religious grifting to another level with Prophets of Doom, preachers who somehow still think they are doing what’s right, but ultimately doing everything for selfish reasons. Joseph’s comparison to some real life style of ministry is not wrong, but in Schmalke fashion takes it up to 11. Prophets of Doom gives us three preachers who we will love to hate and a group of evil characters we will hate to love.
This first issue of Prophets of Doom lays a wonderful foundation for the series while giving us just the right amount of action and forward momentum to push us into feverishly waiting for the next issue. Always happy to wait, but sometimes I want it now, that is how issue one left me hanging at the end. Some surprising ass-kicking I didn’t see coming, but was fully invested in once it graced the page.
The story is wild, but it rounded out by Kahl’s outstanding line work and perfect color palette. Those who are used to seeing Schmalke illustrate his own stories will see a fresh new style with Amanda, one that fits this story like a glove. Although rarely works in single-issue comic format, Kahl is another veteran illustrator who brings some serious talent to this story and pushes it in the right direction. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the phenomenal lettering by Micah Myers.
Prophets of Doom is exactly the comic that reminds me why Joseph Schmalke has become an auto-pull for me at my local comic shop and adding Amanda Kahl to the mix proved to be the perfect pairing for this twisted tale. Prophets of Doom is a wickedly fun and unapologetically wild story that takes us on a fantastic ride and it’s only the first issue. I know we are in for one hell of a series.
Prophets of Doom #1 hits local comic shops on July 15, 2026 from Midnight Factory Press.
Prophets of Doom #1 Preview
