Oni Press will publish Free for All, a 56-page, one-shot graphic novella by Patrick Horvath, creator of the Eisner-nominated Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees. The story features a sort of Battle Royale for billionaires and trillionaires, in which they are chosen at random and offered the choice of either forfeiting half their money to the common good or defending themselves in a fight to the death. Reigning champion Ted Brooks, a real estate magnate who has won 22 victories, may meet his match when he faces his ex-wife, Luella Domingo, pitting her training and preparation against his determination to keep his fortune intact. The novella will go on sale in March 2025 as a 56-page one-shot with an MSRP of $7.99.
In making the announcement, Oni revealed plans for five new “genre-colliding” projects in the first half of 2025. They did not announce any details of the others, except for the publication dates, which range from February to May.
“With Beneath the Trees, Patrick Horvath has proven himself to be the rare breed of creator who can show up entirely fully formed with their debut work, while simultaneously presenting an entirely new point of view – in this case, one that that is enthralling and entertaining as it is disturbing and confrontational,” Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Free for All has all of those same qualities in spades – including Horvath’s signature vivisection-rich violence and correspondingly pernicious sense of humor – with a dystopian science-fiction edge that one-part cultural commentary, one-part battle royale.”
The cozy horror story Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, which features one serial killer hunting another in a woodland setting reminiscent of Richard Scarry’s Busytown, debuted in October 2023 and was nominated for the Eisner Award for Best New Series. The collected edition of the six-issue series was number 2 on the September ComicHub list (see “Top 20 Graphic Novels”), and IDW Publishing plans a second installment under its new IDW Dark imprint (see “IDW Launches Horror Imprint”).
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Source: ICv2