A hero rises against the darkness in KARDAK THE MYSTIC!

When a shadowy figure creeps into our world, witness the heroic return of KARDAK THE MYSTIC, on shelves today!

In the all-new story by Joe Corallo and Butch Mapa, Kardak is a struggling stage magician, trying to keep the audience on their feet and the bills paid, but he’s having a rough go at it. When a strange encounter late one night leads to what looks like a perfectly timed shortcut to success, he may have to learn that all-important rule — there are no shortcuts in showbiz! While this one has given Kardak the true magic he’s been searching for, that’s not all its brought back.

We asked the team to give us a behind-the-scenes peek at how Kardak came to be, and they delivered! Joe Corallo said, “KARDAK THE MYSTIC combines a classic Archie superhero tale with the macabre, offering a thrilling read to both superhero and Archie horror fans.” And what about Butch’s killer art, with its heroism and dark edge? “I absolutely loved the work that Butch Mapa did in his story for Archie’s HAPPY HORROR DAYS special which we both got to be a part of,” Joe added, “so he was already at the top of my mind when I was generously given this opportunity to write Kardak. The powers that be at Archie must have some mystical powers of their own as they clearly read my mind and made this collaboration happen!”

Speaking of Butch, we especially wanted to know how he handled some of the creepier aspects of Joe’s script! “The most important thing to do in the beginning of any comic is to establish the characters and their world and to set the tone for the rest of the story,” he said. “For KARDAK THE MYSTIC, Joe came up with a tale that was less about jumpscares and more about a creeping sense of dread. Visually, I wanted to make strong use of blacked out areas to give a heavier weight to each page. The presence of spotlights in a stage environment helped greatly in this. Ellie Wright did a masterful job filling the world with color in a way that enhanced the artwork. The narrative itself has a strong element of the hidden and unseen, so being able to obscure things through shadow was a natural fit.”

Start reading with the special sneak peek below, and you can cast a spell on your own collectible copy right here!