Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: Joni Hägg
Artist: Stipan Morian
Colorist: Ropemann
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Release Date: 10th December 2026

---

On sale this week from Mad Cave Studios, Our Soot-Stained Heart – described by its creators as a “steampunk Santa story”- takes us to The Coalition, a sprawling industrial city belching thick smoke into the polluted air. We’re only a few days away from Fuel’s Day, the time of year when the coal comes to town. But according to Governor Glass, if you want fuel, you need to be bad all year long.

I absolutely fell in love with this story from the opening pages. The narrative style, the artwork, the clever inversion of the classic “if you’re not nice, Santa will bring you a lump of coal” trope – all fantastic.

Our story starts four weeks before Fuel’s Day on Baron’s Eve, the day when the cruel Governor’s men go around checking everyone’s “quotas” to make sure they’ve been bad enough. Everyone has their own individual quota to fill, but young Peggy Stones doesn’t believe in all that. As a result, this quiet, hard-working girl – who simply puts her head down and gets her job done – finds herself exiled to the frozen wastes. Her only crime? Being a good girl.

As I say, this is a brilliant idea that’s being executed to absolute perfection by the entire creative team. Full disclosure: letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou was the only name in this group that I previously recognised, but writer Joni Hägg, artist Stipan Morian, and colourist Ropemann have all instantly cemented their places on my “must read” list moving forward.

The visual side of the book is an utter delight, with Morian delivering artwork that is delicate, expressive, and pleasingly stark when it needs to be. There’s no shortage of action either, including (but not limited to) some swashbuckling fun atop a high-speed train. Morian and Ropemann combine to give the book a slightly washed-out, storybook quality that really helps to underscore the dark, European fairytale vibes throughout.

I also love the fact that this first issue is a double-sized, 48-page offering, as it really gives the story time to breathe. Far too frequently, opening chapters feel like a bit of a sprint as creators try desperately to get to their hook as quickly as possible to avoid losing the reader’s interest. Here we get a more measured approach, allowing us to get to know our leading lady more gradually, including through flashbacks to Peggy’s childhood with her loving father and the tragedy and austerity of her formative years.

With a strong message of workers rising up against oppressive overlords, a bit of mystery and prophecy, and some wonderfully subverted Christmas themes, this new series is a wonderful testament to the creativity of its entire team, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Rating: 4.5/5.

---

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]

---

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says
You can follow Ceej on Twitter

---