Friendship, Teeth, And Frog Crimes: Maverick And Mad Cave Studios Announce ‘Confetti Realms’

Maverick and Mad Cave Studios have announced Confetti Realms, an original graphic novel from writer Nadia Shammas, illustrator Karnessa, and colorist Hakto Oshiro, publishing October 31, 2023. 

On Halloween night, when the moon is full, teenagers get up to mischief. But when an encounter with a giant, sentient puppet in a graveyard sends four teens to a mysterious dimension called the Confetti Realms, they must overcome obstacles in their own friendships–and collect the debted teeth owed to the puppet–in order to make their way home. 

But the allure of staying in a fantasy world is a hard one to beat, and going home to their normal lives is starting to sound less and less appealing for some. Will these friends return home?

“The idea of Confetti Realms started with a Victorian Christmas Card,” said Shammas. “I was really inspired by the festive yet strangely macabre animals in their finest clothes. When thinking about developing the energy of the book further, pairing with Karnessa influenced a lot of creative decisions. I’ve been a fan of Karnessa’s work for a long time, they manage to balance comedy and horror so incredibly well, and their creature design work is just off the charts. I feel like we kept leaning into the absurdity of the world we had created, and it kept pushing us to go funnier and weirder. This book is probably the strangest and most joyous work I’ve done yet. It’s a touch of Over the Garden Wall with emo teens, a quest for loose teeth, and big emotional stakes.

“Confetti Realms is a deeply personal story for me, and a world I needed to make for myself during the pandemic. I put some of my most personal teenager memories into this, but also a frog that robs people at knifepoint. It was also a dream to make something so intimately focused on the emotional lives of alt queer kids of color. I honestly hope readers just enjoy the world we’ve made, and these messy kids who are doing their best.”  

“This comic is like a weird vinaigrette of my favorite stuff. It has a little bit of everything: friendship, teeth, frog crimes, romance, catboys, more teeth and even a handsome automaton with the tumblr sexyman vibes,” added Karnessa. 

Edited by Lauren Hitzhuzen and lettered by Micah Myers, Confetti Realms is slated for release October 2023 and is now available for pre-order from Maverick.