A noir-soaked, monster-filled Hollywood nightmare from the director of Phantasm: Ravager and longtime collaborator with Rob Zombie
LOS ANGELES, CA — [April 2026] — Illustrator and director David Hartman returns to the drive-in with his latest full-throttle horror graphic novel, Monster Drive-In: The Hunchback of Naughty Dames, launching soon on Kickstarter.
Best known for directing Phantasm: Ravager and working on genre series like Transformers Prime and Twilight of the Gods, Hartman continues his love letter to vintage exploitation cinema with this all-new 108-page, full-color graphic novel — a continuing series designed to feel like long-lost cult horror films from the ’50s, ‘60s, and beyond, complete with retro ads, intermission breaks, and grindhouse flair.
ONE HUNCHBACKED DETECTIVE. A MISSING STARLET. AND A FILM THAT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE SEEN.
A twisted blend of hardboiled noir and occult horror, THE HUNCHBACK OF NAUGHTY DAMES follows Modo, a hunchbacked private eye navigating the underbelly of Hollywood, where fame is fleeting and something far more sinister lurks behind the camera.
When a young actress disappears after auditioning for a mysterious film, Modo’s investigation uncovers a secret society, a cursed production, monsters and a group of women forever changed by what they experienced. These former starlets—scarred, hardened, and dangerous—band together as the “Naughty Dames,” turning the tables on the nightmare that created them.
But all roads lead to a private screening… where the film itself may open the door to something monstrous.
MONSTER DRIVE-IN: THE HUNCHBACK OF NAUGHTY DAMES is Volume 2 in the Monster Drive-In series — a blood-soaked tribute to classic horror cinema, loaded with monsters, femme fatales, brutal action, and retro-style comic ads.
Early Praise for The Hunchback of Naughty Dames
“The Hunchback of Naughty Dames plays like a fever dream of smoke and sin colored in glorious black and white. Monsters crowd the margins, dames don’t need saving, and the night fights back. It’s pulp turned nightmare. Mean, hilarious, and impossible to look away from.”
– Don Coscarelli ( Phantasm, Bubba Ho-Tep, John Dies at the End)
“Hartman’s new graphic novel is a grotesque charmer. Wrapped in black and bloody tones, crackling with clever dialogue and vivid characters, the adventures of hump-backed shamus Henry Modo, and a squad of scarred femme fatales out for mayhem and revenge, are a hideously entertaining romp through a familiar, yet monstrous version of the Noir Era of Hollywood. It had its claws in me from the opening double-page spread!
– Dan Brereton (The Nocturnals, Giantkiller, The Psycho)
Hartman is no stranger to horror comics, having illustrated cult-favorite titles like Strange Cases (Image Comics) and The Devil’s Rejects (IDW), as well as recent work on Kraken and Spectors (Titan Comics). With The Hunchback of Naughty Dames, he pushes deeper into his creator- owned Monster Drive-In universe, blending detective fiction, grotesque horror, and cinematic storytelling.
“With Monster Drive-In, I’m telling the kind of stories I wish I’d seen on VHS when I was a kid. I’ve always wanted to do a noir comic—but once I added monsters, dangerous women, and a hunchbacked detective, it became something stranger, and the perfect fit for this series.”
— David Hartman
WHAT’S IN THE CAMPAIGN:
- Hardcover & softcover editions
- Exclusive add-ons like themed sticker sets, art prints, and even a pressbook for the fictional film.
- Original artwork and monster sketches by David Hartman
- Collector’s “Grindhouse” reward tiers with B-movie flair
Kickstarter backers will be the first to get the book — plus monster goodies and art available nowhere else.
Available May 18th on Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidhartman/monster-drive-in-the-hunchback-of-naughty-dames
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