SEP. 16, 2026 (MIAMI, FL) — Fashion school is competitive enough before your final project partner becomes the person you’re falling for…
This winter, Maverick, the young adult imprint of Mad Cave Studios, presents Heat of Fashion, a trans and queer-friendly YA romantic comedy from writer Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass, The Magicians), artist Natalie Nardozza (Archie Horror), colorist Diana Tsai Santos, and letterer Rob Jones.
When Haring Arts and Design Magnet School royalty Ben Wilcox is assigned to work with maverick and outsider Annie Jacobs, he’s enthralled by her talent and her charms and does whatever it takes to get her to like him, including lying about his dating history. They fall in love while working on their final senior project, but when Annie discovers Ben’s lies, it doesn’t just damage their relationship: it threatens to sink their senior project as well!
The writer of numerous comics, including Girl Haven, The Science of Ghosts, and Public Relations, as well as titles from DC, Marvel, IDW, and other publishers, Lilah Sturges uses the romantic comedy setup to dig into trust, identity, and the mess people create when they try to become what someone else wants. The story brings queer and trans characters into a funny, complicated look at romance, friendship, and the pressure to get everything right before graduation.
Nardozza is a Montreal-born comic artist and writer whose recent work includes projects for Archie Horror and DC, alongside her own graphic novel series adapted into vertical-style comics online. Inspired by Barbie fashion and Sailor Moon, her colorful artwork brings the high-pressure halls of Haring Arts and Design Magnet School to life.
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