PORTLAND, Ore. — In a world where hope rides the rails, every stop could be your last…
Mad Cave Studios is thrilled to announce Kill Train the forthcoming adrenaline-pumping dystopian horror series written by award-winning screenwriter Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (Jill and the Killers), featuring illustrations by Italian comic artist by Martina Niosi with colors by designer and Ernesto Basile Art Institute graduate Simone D’Angelo, letters by Becca Carey; with Cover A by Skylar Patridge and a Variant Cover B by Alison Sampson.
To control the population explosion that nearly crippled the city, New York has instituted Kill Train, a randomized, extermination program where designated subway trains are picked at random, and all the passengers are slaughtered by the end of the line. In this not-so-distant future, we meet Vanessa, a struggling single mom in the midst of a nervous breakdown, who discovers that she, herself, is on a Kill Train. Now, for once in her life and with everything to prove, Vanessa decides she’s not going down without a fight.
“Kill Train is both the most psychotic and, paradoxically, the most personal thing I’ve ever written,” said series writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs. “The basic concept came to me in a dream many years ago, but when it came time to outline the story, I was going through one of the darkest moments of my life. I could have run from it, I suppose. I could have drummed up some cool, exciting plot with a character I plucked from my imagination, but that’s not what happened. I was sad and angry and desperate. And so, instead, I poured every bit of my own rage, frustration, and devastation into this story, and by the end of the outline – which I wrote almost entirely on the Eurostar from Paris to London and back again – I felt completely and totally validated. Writing this book changed me. It helped me heal, and it reminded me what I’m made of. I can not wait to share it with the world.”
“Working on Kill Train is one of my best work experiences!” said artist Martina Niosi. “Olivia’s story is immersive and lets the reader empathize with the characters because it shows us feelings, fears and difficulties that many human beings have in common but are often hidden. Kill Train instead guides us through these feelings with a growing suspense, showing us both the darker side and the courage to go forward. I tried to express this vortex of emotions with my drawings that evolved along with the atmosphere of the story and found completeness with Simone’s colors. Kill Train’s result is definitely the work of an excellent team that has made the creation of this comic book a moment of growth, reflection and fun and I am sure that the reader will notice and enjoy it.”
“Coloring Kill Train has been and is an ongoing surprise, because the story is full of very fun palettes to make and I’m sure readers will appreciate the dark and introspective tones of the story,” said colorist Simone D’Angelo. “Especially the darkest moments that the protagonist goes through that Martina was able to interpret well and of which I hope I have given justice through color. I learned a lot working on this book. I can’t wait for people to read it.”
Fasten your seatbelt, this train stops for no one. One of the first scares from Mad Cave Studios in 2025, Kill Train #1 (of 5) drops Jan. 22nd.
Kill Train #1 First Look
