From Thousands of Submissions to Eight Rising Stars, Mad Cave Studios Welcomes Its Newest Breakout Talent!
The wait is over! Mad Cave Studios is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Mad Cave Studios Talent Search, now in its eighth year of spotlighting bold, emerging voices in comics. Each year, the program invites aspiring writers, artists, colorists, and letterers from around the world to showcase their craft for a chance to collaborate professionally with Mad Cave’s editorial team—a testament to the publisher’s commitment to discovering and nurturing new talent.
First announced in June 2025, this year’s Talent Search welcomed creators to develop stories within one of four eligible Mad Cave universes, including Exit City, Dark Pyramid, Endless Night, and Sanction. And after an incredible showing of talent from around the world, the publisher is thrilled to introduce eight emerging creators chosen to join its ranks, continuing the publisher’s mission to champion fresh, diverse voices in comics.
1st Place: Writer Jennifer Liao, a filmmaker and TV director (FROM, Two Sentence Horror Stories, Murdoch Mysteries); Artist Agus Calcagno, a Buenos Aires–based illustrator and educator with over twenty years of experience in sequential art; Colorist Pedro Estouco
; and Letterer Marina Leon, a graphic designer and comic letterer based in Argentina.
2nd Place: Writer Devon L. White, a Baltimore-based dystopian-noir writer whose work explores bureaucratic systems and marginalized voices; Artist Gabriele Falzone, an Italian illustrator and graduate of Scuola del Fumetto in Milan; Colorist Edson Jimenez, a visual storyteller from Cuernavaca, Mexico, focused on creating vibrant, atmospheric worlds; and Letterer Chase Snyder, a New Jersey–based letterer and frequent collaborator on independent comics and anthologies.
From breakout hits like Nottingham (2019 winner David Hazan) to this year’s boundary-pushing creators, Mad Cave is proud to champion new voices and emerging talent, continuing its commitment to creating opportunity and growth across the comics industry.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! For those who weren’t selected this time, stay inspired and watch for the announcement of the next Mad Cave Studios Talent Search—your opportunity is closer than you think!
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