Grief makes monsters of us all

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

JAN. 23, 2026, (PORTLAND, OR) — Revenge runs in the family…

Mad Cave Studios is proud to announce its latest horror mystery series, PRETTY HATE MACHINE, a familiar tragedy unraveling in decaying rural America. Co-written by acclaimed writer, actor, producer, and director Ryan O’Nan (Winders) and celebrated comics writer Tim Seeley (Nightwing, Bloodletter), with art by Hank La Marca (The Christbearer), colors by Berlin-based illustrator Roman Stevens (Absolute Batman), and letters by Dave Sharpe (Circus Maximus). Featuring issue #1 covers by Todor Hristov and Michael Gaydos, with a retailer incentive cover by Rod Reis.

Thomas is in so much pain. As if high school wasn’t hard enough, when his father is killed in a freak accident, and his mother begins to take refuge in the company of his uncle, Thomas is visited by a ghoulish kid named Luther with knives for hands and rows of teeth like an ancient shark who tells Thomas his father was murdered and that anything his mother and uncle tell him is a lie. Thomas doesn’t know who or what to believe. Does he believe his friends, teachers, and mother, who tell him grief isn’t for the faint of heart, but it will pass? Or does he believe the demented Luther who pulls Thomas through a bloody whirlwind of conspiracies, vengeance, and slaughter, showing him the lies and corruption that surround him? Thomas must fight to discover the truth behind his father’s death, while struggling to keep his new friend from leaving a massacre in his wake. But that “truth” might be far more sinister than Thomas is prepared for…

Ryan O’Nan spoke to his first foray into comics: “I wanted to write a dark love letter to the scrappy young man who somehow survived the 1990’s. A time when a kid could truly get lost—when you grew up in violent spurts while no one was watching. Where the world felt cruel but honest. A boiling pot of love, and friendship, and family, and bad influences, and secret dreams, and misguided, incredible adventures. Pretty Hate Machine is a father/son story. It’s about generational trauma. But mostly it’s about the horror of growing up, and all the skin we shed, or that gets flayed off us, along the way. And when I think of horror comics, I think of Tim Seeley. I couldn’t feel more excited or honored to be creating this dark ’90s pop song with him. Such a scary, fun dream.”

“I don’t know a lot of handsome, creative AND twisted people, but Ryan is all three,” added Tim Seeley. “Pretty Hate Machine is pulled straight from his brain, and I’m happy to be along for the collaborative comics ride. It’s personal, and demented, and beautiful in equal measures.”

“Anger makes you blind, but a demon teaches you how to use it,” said Hank La Marca. “Luther has razor-sharp teeth, but I drew him with real emotions. Growing up in the early ’90s means facing evil without looking away. This story isn’t scary because of monsters—it’s scary because of what you’ll see in yourself.”

With art and a vibe steeped heavily in grunge horror, Pretty Hate Machine is a murder mystery that leaves slaughter in its wake, echoing the corrosive teen nihilism of Heathers, a nod to True Detective, and the enveloping and surreal aesthetic of The City of Lost Children.

Pretty Hate Machine #1 is on sale April 8, 2026, with FOC on March 16.