Mad Cave Studios just announced a brand new series, and this one instantly caught our attention. Let’s talk about Ferocious, a dark fantasy horror tale that sounds like nothing else on the shelves right now.
Ferocious #1
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Writer: Luke Piotrowski
Artist: Emanuele Ercolani
Colorist: Paolo Raiteri
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover A: Andy Clarke & Jose Villarubia
Release date: November 19, 2025
So, What’s the Story?
A boy who works at a tavern lives a quiet life until a towering, dragon-like woman, a soldier who has walked away from a faraway war, tears through his village on her own. He swears revenge, but he’s no fighter, and the only person who can teach him how to kill is the very one he wants to destroy.
It’s a five-issue series built around that uneasy pairing, and it sounds more like a character-driven revenge story than a typical fantasy adventure. We’re very curious how a student and teacher with that kind of history will coexist.
Who’s Making Ferocious?
Luke Piotrowski writes, Emanuele Ercolani draws, Paolo Raiteri colors, and Carlos M. Mangual letters, published by Mad Cave Studios.
Piotrowski is a screenwriter and former high school teacher making his first step into comics, but he’s no stranger to horror. He usually writes with his partner Ben Collins, and their credits include Siren, Super Dark Times, The Night House, and the 2022 Hellraiser reboot. The Night House is a 2020 psychological horror film starring Rebecca Hall as a widow who uncovers a dark secret about the house her late husband built, and the screenplay earned the duo a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Screenplay. Hellraiser, like The Night House, was directed by David Bruckner, so Piotrowski has a track record of building unsettling stories that stick with you. Seeing him channel that experience into comics for the first time, on his own, makes us very curious.
Ercolani is an artist whose work we don’t know well yet, but that’s exactly why we’re eager to see how his style shapes this blood-soaked fantasy world. He is based in Rome and works as a comic book artist, art director, and stuntman. His credits include an episode of the Italian fantasy series Dragonero for Sergio Bonelli Editore, the six-issue miniseries Kitsune, which he co-created for Scout Comics in 2022, and Mad Cave’s own Terrorbytes. Mangual, who letters the series, also worked on Terrorbytes, so there’s a bit of shared history on the team.
Why We’re Watching This One
Dark fantasy mixed with horror, a debut from a proven horror screenwriter, and art we’re curious to discover: it has all the ingredients to surprise us.
And then there’s the cover. The main cover for the first issue immediately stood out to us. It sets the tone with something creepy and bloody, everything we like. It makes us wonder what we’re walking into, and that’s always a good sign for a horror comic.
Mad Cave has also built a strong run of books we’ve enjoyed, including Dark Pyramid, Whisper of the Woods, and The Hexiles, so we have good reason to trust what they’re doing with new series.
Who Should Add This to Their Pull List?
Fans of dark fantasy and horror should have this on their list, especially anyone who enjoys revenge stories with a twist. It’s also a good fit for readers following Piotrowski’s horror films, and for anyone already reading Mad Cave’s genre books.
Release Details
Ferocious #1 goes on sale November 19, 2025, from Mad Cave Studios, at 32 pages, as the first issue of a five-issue series. Cover A is by Andy Clarke and Jose Villarubia, with a Cover B by Emanuele Ercolani.
FAQ
When does Ferocious #1 come out? Issue #1 releases November 19, 2025.
Who is writing Ferocious? Luke Piotrowski, known for co-writing Hellraiser and The Night House.
Who is drawing Ferocious? Emanuele Ercolani, with colors by Paolo Raiteri and letters by Carlos M. Mangual.
What publisher is releasing Ferocious? Mad Cave Studios.
Is Ferocious a new series, limited series, or one-shot? It’s a new five-issue series.
Is Ferocious Luke Piotrowski’s first comic? Yes, it’s his comics debut after a career writing horror for the screen.
Who should read Ferocious? Fans of dark fantasy horror, revenge stories, and Mad Cave’s genre books.
