MILWAUKIE, Ore. — Dark Horse presents Skate Ali, a new five-issue comic series from Kelly Sue DeConnick, Sam Humphries, and Natacha Bustos! Skate Ali is a high-octane, genre-smashing sci-fi skatepunk saga about friendship, rebellion, and finding yourself when the world wants to knock you down written by DeConnick (FML, Bitch Planet) and Humphries (Harley Quinn, Guardians of the Galaxy), illustrated by Bustos (Moon Girl, Miles Morales), and lettered by Josh Reed (Knight City, Christmas 365).
Issue #1 will be available in June 2026 and will feature cover art by Bustos, Joe Quinones, Sweeney Boo, Emma Rios, and Jamie McKelvie.
About Skate Ali:
Welcome to near-future Los Angeles—a neon-scorched city where skateboarding has been ruthlessly outlawed. But nothing stops Skate Ali.
By day, she’s just another student dodging detention. By night, she’s a rebel on wheels, an enigmatic loner defying the law on the Los Angeles streets.
But when Ali slams headfirst into the infamous world of underground skateboarding, she comes face to face with a crew of outcast skaters called the LA Skull Clan, and their masked leader, Skull Queen 9. Fueled by a magical force called the Rush, the clan pulls off explosive moves and defiant acts of resistance.
Faced with the opportunity to level up her game, but afraid of actually being perceived by others, Ali must decide: will she play it safe, or kickflip straight into a revolution?
“Kelly Sue and I first came up with Skate Ali over ten years ago,” said Humphries. “She’s been living in our heads ever since, demanding to come out, skating the inside of our skulls like they were empty swimming pools. It’s noisy and we needed the relief, but there’s also something about her heart, smartass vibes, and banged up ankles that has made her impossible to ignore. Getting Natacha to join us as artist and co-creator was the perfect fit to make Ali finally come alive. We can’t wait for everyone to meet the best and worst skater in the history of Los Angeles.”
“Working on this project has been fun from the very beginning,” added Bustos. “I was immediately captivated by the scripts and the spokon spirit at the heart of the story, with its peculiar and incredibly smartly written characters. Of course, Ali is the soul of everything, and Sam and Kelly’s description of her made me fall in love with the character at first sight. Designing her was a joy, just like bringing to life all the characters who orbit around her. I hope readers enjoy a comic that’s fun, clever, and full of heart.”
Drop into your local comic shop and pre-order Skate Ali #1 (of 5) before it hits shelves on June 10, 2026 for $4.99.
Praise for Kelly Sue DeConnick, Sam Humphries, and Natacha Bustos:
“DeConnick has always combined top-notch lyrical text with a knack for bringing out the best in the artists she works with.”—Polygon
“Kelly Sue DeConnick either writes with a King Midas pen, is one of the few remaining wizards in the world, or, most likely, is just that damn good because Bitch Planet is yet another amazing series with her name on the cover.”—Word on the Nerd
“Kelly Sue DeConnick is a force in comics.”—Book Riot
“[Humphries] is a comic book legend.”—SyFy.com
“Sam Humphries delivers a damn near perfect bit of storytelling.”— Comicbook.com
“With subdued intent, Bustos illustrates worlds where readers of all backgrounds can feel empowered and see themselves represented. She herself became an icon of sorts to young fans of color, in which she sees her younger self represented.”—Huffington Post
“While everyone does great work across the board, there is no underestimating the importance of Bustos’s work here, as she gave us a Lunella that very much looked and acted like a 9-year-old, and the dynamic motion and epic double-page spreads she brought to the series are truly unique. The design work she did in establishing the sort of anti-fashion of Lunella helped to define the character, and in the best moments the art fairly leaps off the pages. Her covers on the series are brilliant and rank among the best of the last decade.”—Comics Beat on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Skate Ali #1 Covers
