CLOVER PRESS UNLEASHES THE FOURTH LEAF, A BLOODY NEW CREATOR-OWNED IMPRINT BUILT TO SHAKE UP COMICS

Debuting Ahead of Comic-Con International 2026, The Fourth Leaf Brings Gritty, Pulpy, No-Holds-Barred Stories Ready to Set the Future of Comics on Fire

Clover Press has spent years building a reputation for creating books that do more than sit quietly on a shelf. These are the kind of premium publications collectors display like trophies beautifully restored newspaper-strip collections, oversized art books, and high-end editions celebrating some of the biggest artists, characters, and creative legacies in comics. Now the San Diego-based boutique publisher is opening the door to something louder, bloodier, stranger, and completely creator-owned.

Ahead of Comic-Con International 2026 and following the company’s first-ever nomination for a prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award—Clover Press has announced The Fourth Leaf, an all-new imprint dedicated to original creator-owned comics and graphic novels. And nah, they are not easing into the room quietly.

The Fourth Leaf is launching with a lineup packed with supernatural slashers, psychic children, homicidal chickens, blood-soaked Vikings, paranormal detectives, rampaging monsters, and enough beautifully illustrated mayhem to make any respectable comic fan reach for the preorder button.

The first wave will feature new work from the fan-favorite creative team of Doug Wagner and Daniel Hillyard, legendary horror writer Steve Niles, and an oversized hardcover edition of Sean Lewis and Jonathan Marks Barravecchia’s critically acclaimed Bear Pirate Viking Queen. That is one wild opening hand. Clover Press came to the table holding monsters, murder, dark comedy, and premium production values. Respect.

Originally co-founded in 2019 by IDW Publishing co-founders Ted Adams and Robbie Robbins, Clover Press has developed an impressive publishing catalog that includes acclaimed art books produced with Marvel and DC Comics, releases from The Library of American Comics, and original projects designed to stand apart in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Its recent releases include Armored, the supernatural comic series from screenwriter Michael Schwartz and artist Ismael Hernandez, which has received praise from genre icons including Dan Aykroyd and R. L. Stine. The publisher is also home to The Mask of Haliya, a YA urban-fantasy graphic novel inspired by Philippine mythology, written by Cecilia Lim, Waverley Lim, and Kaitlyn Fajilan, with artwork from Susan Bin and Vik Caedo.

With The Fourth Leaf, Clover Press is taking that commitment to craftsmanship and applying it to stories where creators can swing for the fences without somebody standing behind them yelling about corporate synergy.

“We’re living in an unparalleled time of creativity and opportunity in the comic book industry,” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “We may not have flying cars yet, and we may not be living on space stations yet, but we are absolutely living in the future of near-endless creative possibilities.”

Kanalz described the imprint as a home for stories that resonate with Clover Press while connecting creators directly with readers hungry for something new.

“These are bold, bloody, and pulpy stories by fearless creators, and we’re proud to provide them a place to create without limits,” Kanalz continued. “These are stories to invigorate and ignite the future.”

That philosophy is reflected across The Fourth Leaf’s opening lineup. These are not safe, committee-designed books engineered to chase whatever happened to trend last Tuesday. The projects have distinct voices, ambitious visual identities, and concepts weird enough to make readers stop scrolling and pay attention.

The first three projects are heading to Kickstarter, where fans can sign up through the individual prelaunch pages to receive notifications when each campaign goes live.

I LOVE APOCALYPTIC ZOMBIE MISFITS

By Doug Wagner and Daniel Hillyard

The creative duo behind Plastic, Plush, Vinyl, I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer, and Narco is back—and somehow, things have gotten even more unhinged.

Doug Wagner and Daniel Hillyard’s I Love Apocalyptic Zombie Misfits is a new graphic novel blending the team’s familiar cocktail of horror, dark comedy, brutal violence, and sharp, irreverent humor with a supernatural premise that sounds like it escaped from the wildest midnight movie never made.

The story follows a nerdy pacifist who is resurrected inside a vat of holy motor oil. Because apparently regular motor oil was not metal enough.

After awakening, he discovers that he is trapped inside the massive body of a supernatural slasher. He is then forced to protect a psychic child from the combined forces of Heaven, Hell, and everything lurking between the two.

That would already be enough chaos for one book—but our reluctant hero also has a Halloween mask and a squad of homicidal chickens.

Yes, homicidal chickens.

Somewhere, Colonel Sanders just felt a disturbance in the universe.

Fans of Wagner and Hillyard’s previous collaborations already know what kind of creative madness this team can deliver. Their stories often combine gruesome violence with unexpectedly emotional characters, absurd situations, and humor sharp enough to leave a scar. I Love Apocalyptic Zombie Misfits sounds ready to crank every one of those ingredients up until the dial breaks clean off.

Readers can sign up through the project’s Kickstarter prelaunch page to receive an email when the campaign launches.

BEAR PIRATE VIKING QUEEN

By Sean Lewis and Jonathan Marks Barravecchia

There are comic-book titles that gently explain what readers are about to experience.

Then there is Bear Pirate Viking Queen, a title that walks into the room, flips the table, grabs an axe, and demands your attention.

Written by King Spawn writer Sean Lewis and illustrated by Jonathan Marks Barravecchia, the acclaimed series is receiving a deluxe, oversized hardcover edition filled with conquest, carnage, violent Vikings, battling bears, and stunning watercolor artwork.

The story presents a savage and visually arresting struggle over what the world will ultimately become. Barravecchia’s watercolor illustrations give the violence an almost mythological beauty, creating pages that feel raw, painterly, and alive—even when everything on them is attempting to murder everything else.

This upcoming Clover Press edition will mark the first time the series has been collected in hardcover. The oversized format should give the artwork the breathing room it deserves, allowing readers to soak in every brutal confrontation, atmospheric landscape, and blood-splattered detail.

This is not just a reprint. It is the kind of premium-format upgrade Clover Press has built its name on, transforming an already acclaimed comic into a full-blown collector’s edition.

Fans can sign up through the Kickstarter prelaunch page to receive a notification when the campaign begins.

CAL McDONALD: PLAGUE OF EVIL AND OTHER STORIES

By Steve Niles and an International Lineup of Artists

Horror legend Steve Niles, the creator of 30 Days of Night, is bringing back cult-favorite paranormal detective Cal McDonald for a new collection of supernatural crime stories.

Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories will feature an international roster of artists joining Niles for a journey through the darker, nastier corners of Los Angeles.

Drawing inspiration from hard-boiled crime writers such as Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler, the collection follows McDonald through a city populated by monsters, ghouls, freaks, supernatural threats, and entirely new creatures determined to unleash chaos.

Cal McDonald has never been the polished detective walking into the office with a clean trench coat and a charming smile. He is a damaged, stubborn, frequently self-destructive investigator who handles cases most cops—and most sane human beings—would run from before the opening credits finished.

That collision between noir detective fiction and grotesque supernatural horror has always made the character stand out. With Plague of Evil and Other Stories, Niles will once again drag McDonald through a Los Angeles where every dark alley could hide a monster, every case can become a nightmare, and surviving until sunrise is never guaranteed.

Readers can sign up through the project’s Kickstarter prelaunch page to be notified when the campaign officially launches.

Clover Press Co-Founder and Senior Art Director Robbie Robbins emphasized that The Fourth Leaf will grow carefully, with the publisher choosing projects based on the kinds of books its own team genuinely wants to read.

“We are thrilled to be expanding Clover Press’ line of publications to include more original creator-owned content,” Robbins said. “We’re starting slowly and adding books that we like to read to our line.”

Robbins also noted that the Clover Press name will continue to represent both strong storytelling and elevated presentation.

“A Clover Press publication means a combination of quality content with a higher-end format,” Robbins added. “We like to have fun making books and hope you’ll have as much enjoyment reading them.”

That might be the smartest part of The Fourth Leaf’s entire approach.

Instead of flooding the market with dozens of titles and hoping something sticks, Clover Press appears focused on building the imprint deliberately—one distinctive, beautifully produced project at a time. Creator-owned comics need more publishers willing to invest in unique voices without sanding away everything that made those voices interesting in the first place.

The Fourth Leaf is arriving with a clear identity: bold creators, wild concepts, premium formats, and stories that are not afraid to get bloody.

With Comic-Con International 2026 approaching and additional project details expected throughout the summer, Clover Press is positioning The Fourth Leaf as more than another publishing label. It is shaping up to be a new home for comics that are strange, fearless, visually ambitious, and proudly unwilling to play it safe.

And honestly? Comics could use a lot more of that energy right now.

More details on all the projects will be released throughout the summer. For updates, follow Clover Press on Instagram, X, Bluesky, Facebook, and subscribe to the Clover press newsletter here.

Author Profile

Al Mega: I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!