First Look: Mad Cave Studios And Maverick Announce New Queer-Friendly YA ‘Heat Of Fashion’
by Brendan M. Allen
This winter, Maverick, the young adult imprint of Mad Cave Studios, presents Heat of Fashion, a trans and queer-friendly YA romantic comedy. The book comes from writer Lilah Sturges, artist Natalie Nardozza, colorist Diana Tsai Santos, and letterer Rob Jones.
When Haring Arts and Design Magnet School royalty Ben Wilcox is assigned to work with maverick and outsider Annie Jacobs, he’s enthralled by her talent and her charms and does whatever it takes to get her to like him, including lying about his dating history. They fall in love while working on their final senior project, but when Annie discovers Ben’s lies, it doesn’t just damage their relationship: it threatens to sink their senior project as well!
The romantic comedy setup digs into trust, identity, and the mess people create when they try to become what someone else wants. It brings queer and trans characters into a funny, complicated look at romance, friendship, and the pressure to get everything right before graduation.
Heat of Fashion goes on sale December 8th, 2026 in paperback (ISBN: 9781545836194 | $16.99), hardcover (ISBN: 9781545836187 | $21.99), and digitally through Comixology. Pre-orders are open at your local comic shop or bookstore.
