Ahead of next week’s annual retailer event ComicsPRO, IDW Publishing has announced a new crime-themed imprint. Overseen by senior group editors Heather Antos and Jake Thomas, IDW Crime will launch with three miniseries this summer, each consisting of three 40-page issues:
Seven Wives, written by Zoe Tunnell (Blade Maidens), with art by V. Gagnon (The Heart Hunter) and Tesslyn Bergin-Dicoi (Facing the Sun), will arrive first in May. Set in a Mormon fundamentalist community in Arizona, the book sees a murder mystery unfold when the group’s patriarch is found dead. Two detectives must “unravel the horrors of brainwashing” to uncover which of the man’s wives killed him.
The second book, Killer Influences, by Joey Esposito (The Pedestrian) and Valeria Burzo (The Creeping Below), is a dark true crime satire revolving around Melvin, a serial killer who’s so “efficient and methodical” that he’s flown under the radar. That is until Kylie, a true crime influencer “reaches out to him, hoping his story can help her become a star. The unlikely duo will make a pact to accomplish their dreams… and destroy their lives in the process.”
The last slated title is Fixation, by Amy Chase (Newburn) and Savanna Mayer (Return to Sleepy Hollow). A commentary on toxic fandom, it follows two fangirls who win the chance to stay “at the iconic house from their favorite hit vampire book-turned-movie franchise.” However, “a young woman was found dead inside the house, and the killer’s taste for blood isn’t finished. The killer is ready to paint the town red to make sure they’ll go down in the franchise’s history. Everyone has a motive, and the most dangerous person in the room isn’t always who it seems…”
Antos tells Forbes, “Following the success of [the horror-themed] IDW Dark [in 2025], we’re super proud to announce IDW Crime, a brand new imprint focusing on one of the oldest genres in comics, crime comics.”
She elaborates in the press release, saying, “Crime has a deep, often under-celebrated history in comics, from hard-boiled noir to social thrillers that pushed the medium to be bolder, sharper, and more adult. With the IDW Crime imprint, we’re honoring that legacy while giving it a modern spotlight — elevating creator-driven stories that feel urgent, character-forward, and unapologetically human.”
Thomas adds, “I’m excited to be developing this new crime line at IDW. No other genre explores the warring impulses of humanity like crime, but it’s also a genre built on tension, pacing, character work, and crackerjack storytelling, all elements that are elemental to comics and build truly rip-roaring yarns.”
Seven Wives will debut on May 20, Killer Influences will begin on July 1, and Fixation #1 will follow on September 9. In the meantime, you can check out the imprint’s logo, as well as variant covers for the first issues of Seven Wives and Killer Influences below.
