Mad Cave Studios Brings The Dystopian Mayhem With ‘Escape From New York: Escape From Chicago’
by Brendan M. Allen
Mad Cave Studios brings Snake Plissken back to comics this September with Escape From New York: Escape From Chicago. The new continuation series expands the world of John Carpenter‘s beloved 1981 cult-classic film. Written by Kyle Higgins and illustrated by Val Rodrigues, the series sends one of pop culture’s most iconic antiheroes into an all-new adventure packed with danger, violence, and the dystopian chaos that made Escape From New York a genre-defining classic.
Once you go in, you don’t come out — unless your name is Snake Plissken! Plissken now survives as a coyote, smuggling people and contraband across the dangerous dead zones between prison territories like Chicago. It’s a hard and bitter job. But when he’s hired to extract a woman wanted by the city’s warlord, Snake sees one more chance at redemption — or one more chance for the universe to kick his ass.
The debut issue features eight covers, including artwork by Stephen Mooney, Danica Brine, Dan Panosian, and Christian Ward, alongside a 1:10 virgin incentive cover by Mooney, a 1:20 incentive cover by Nick Bradshaw and Jim Charalampidis, a foil variant, and a blank sketch cover.
“Escape From New York is one of the films that taught me what genre storytelling could be; lean, mean, and built on a world you can’t stop thinking about,” said Higgins. “Getting to write in Carpenter’s Manhattan is the kind of thing my younger self wouldn’t have believed. I can’t wait for everyone to see Snake’s next adventure.”
“When I received the invitation to draw this project, I grabbed it with enthusiasm,” added Rodrigues. “Having the chance to draw such an iconic character from the movies by such a legendary movie director as John Carpenter is a fun and challenging task. Readers can expect the excitement of a Carpenter-style movie, with a distinctively absurd ’80s action skillfully adapted to the comics medium by Kyle’s writing, and that I’m doing my best to do justice with my linework.”
Escape From New York: Escape From Chicago #1 goes on sale September 23rd, 2026 with an FOC August 24th. Preorder a copy through your local comic shop or from Mad Cave directly.
