Mad Cave Studios announce fantasy adventure series CRUSADER from Matt Emmons and Andriy Lukin

June 2, 2023

2–3 minutes

This September, Mad Cave studios are promising to redefine what it means to be “righteous” in CRUSADER, a brand-new fantasy series from writer/artist Matt Emmons and letterer Andriy Lukin.

Here’s the official synopsis:

A Templar Knight finds himself transported to a dangerous realm known as the Beastlands. With sinister entities known as The Masters hunting him down, all he has is his sword and a weird, goblin-like creature named Grimbel to guide him through this strange new world.

Speaking about the series, Emmons said “I’ve been trying to capture the feeling of a pulpy, fun adventure story that embodies everything I’ve loved about the genre, and I hope it translates. I’ve also been wanting to draw Pilgrim in action for years, so it’s very exciting to finally bring him to the page. Crusader has been a fun challenge!”

He continued, adding “I was raised Catholic, though never really engaged with it or practiced beyond when I was required to. I’ve struggled trying to reconcile how contradictory some of the most extreme versions of faith can be. It’s a common feeling I’ve found with others that feel like we have to unlearn that we don’t have to follow a certain belief system in order to be “good” and that sometimes we really do need to question systems in place rather than be party to them. The Crusader at the center of the story, struggles with a much more exaggerated version of that, trying to survive during a crisis of faith and return for the better.”

“Crusader is an adventurous and fun title that won’t leave fantasy fans disappointed,” added Lukin. “It’s a story of reevaluating your goals and principles, filled with awesome art, memorable characters and great action scenes! I’m very excited to help Matt Emmons with his artistic vision and I hope our readers will appreciate the work we put into this series!

Crusader #1 is expected in shops and digital platforms on Sept 6th 2023, and is currently available for preorder at www.madcavestudios.com.