Exclusive: Mad Cave Studios Announces ‘When The Blood Has Dried’ #1

Mad Cave Studios has announced When The Blood Has Dried, a forthcoming Teen+ series. The Fantasy/Action/Drama comes from writer Gary Moloney, artist Daniel Romero Ulloa, and letterer Becca Carey, with a main cover by Marco Rudy, and a variant cover by Declan Shalvey. 

Years ago, a stranger arrived in Carraig an Bhun, a small town on the edge of the Southern Territories. The locals eventually accepted this “blow-in,” Meabh of Cklonia, as one of their own. 

Now, Meabh has taken over as proprietor of The Lough Inn, finding a semblance of peace after a lifetime of adventuring… 

However, the proposed opening of a branch of the Adventurers’ Guild risks dragging her past into the present. What would the townsfolk do if they discovered their beloved barkeep was once part of a ruthless band of rogue sell-swords masquerading as noble heroes? 

“This is a story that has been in the works in one shape or another for quite some time, and I couldn’t be happier to be bringing When The Blood Has Dried to Mad Cave Studios later this year,” said Moloney. “It’s a book about learning to live with the regret of a life of violence when forgiveness and redemption aren’t on the table. I’ve always been an avid reader of the epic fantasy genre but for this book, I wanted to view epic fantasy through the lens of the spaghetti western and demythologize its archetypal heroes.

“I also strived to give a uniquely Irish spin on a genre that has a tendency to co-opt the language, folklore, and culture of Ireland as setting dressing. Perhaps more than anything else, I was delighted to be able to work again with Daniel, who was one of my earliest collaborators back in my self-publishing days, on a comic that draws on our shared love of grimdark fantasy and slow-burn, character-led stories.”

“Working on this comic has been a dream come true, in which I’ve poured all my concerns, wishes, and will; I haven’t held anything back,” added Romero Ulloa. “Within the pages are each and every one of my life experiences that I could convey, from the calm of the most ordinary villager to the deepest pain of the main characters. I bet my soul that anyone who reads this story will leave with a piece of it, and that’s all I want.”

“I’m a huge fan of the fantasy genre, and in When The Blood Has Dried, Gary has managed to find new ways to look at familiar tropes and upend expectations,” said Mad Cave editor James Emmett. “In this series, we follow ex-adventurer Meabh as she comes face-to-face with the past she thought she could escape and one that left her at death’s door. The world is brought to wonderful life by interior artist Daniel Romero with letters by Becca Carey and covers by Marco Rudy. I can’t wait for readers to see the beautiful and brutal world that these creators have crafted.”

Aimed at fans of Red Sonja and Old Man Logan, When The Blood Has Dried #1 drops April 3rd in your favorite LCS and on digital readers.