The Riot Cometh: Lunchroom Riot Launches in 2023
The Riot Cometh: Lunchroom Riot Launches in 2023
Small comics press will feature five titles in first year
Adam Barnhardt’s Lunchroom Riot banner announced today it is officially launching as a small comics press. Beginning in 2023, Lunchroom Riot will launch with five new titles: Nock, Keepers of the Cosmos, Macabre Mel: Wicked Salvation, Hypknot: Gods Unwanted, and Lunchroom Riot’s House of Haunts. All books scheduled for release in 2023 are set in the publisher’s RiotVerse continuity, a budding superhero world spanning multiple genres.
Things get started in January with Nock, a four-issue mini-series that will be published quarterly. The release of Nock will allow both retailers and readers to bypass traditional distribution systems and purchase directly from the publisher.
“Nock is a story that has long found itself consuming my thoughts, and I’m happy to finally bring it to life with a wonderful team of collaborators,” Barnhardt says. “It’s a deeply personal story that echoes the tale of Icarus and the dangers of stopping at nothing for fame and notoriety.”
Nock follows the journey of one John Nock, a “superhero” that has found his way onto a superhero team; the only problem is, he doesn’t have abilities. While others on his team can alter the weather or run at the speed of light, Nock can’t do much—all he has is a bow and some arrows. Barnhardt serves as writer on Nock and is joined by artist Nicolas Santos, colorist Viviana di Chiara, and letterer Neil Allen Moherman.
“It is a pleasure being a part of this project. Adam brings in a great script and come with an open mind,” Santos adds. “That allows the art team to shine trough the pages, learning with each other and evolving from page to page. What we have here is not a simple comic book, but a passion project.”
As with traditional distribution efforts, pre-orders for Nock will take places two months before release, with orders taking place the months of January (#1), April (#2), July (#3), and October (#4) while the issues will be physically and digitally released in March, June, September, and December, respectively.
A second direct market offering will then come in the form of Macabre Mel: Wicked Salvation, a story from Barnhardt and artist Rolands Kalnins. Initially imagined as an original graphic novel, the story will now be split into two issues releasing in June and October.
The third and final direct market offering for the year is Hypknot: Gods Unwanted, a 40-page graphic novella featuring a pulp-age sorcerer as he battles his demons—both internal and interdimensional—while struggling to come to terms with his own blind faith. Hypknot: Gods Unwanted is drawn by Emilio Chiunti and colored by Drew Pritchett. The cosmic horror is set for release in July.
In addition to releases through the direct market, Lunchroom Riot will continue participating in crowdfunding campaigns, celebrating spooky season with the launch of House of Haunts in September. More on all these titles will be available as pre-order dates near. Titles from Barnhardt and Lunchroom Riot will still be published by other publishers as well, with the RiotVerse’s Keepers of the Cosmos set for release from Scout Comics beginning April 2023.
In the coming months, Lunchroom Riot also has plans to open submissions to indie creators in an effort to find unique and exciting stories to publish in 2024 and beyond with a focus on comedy, horror, and fresh superhero tales.
This is very exciting!
Can't wait for those pre-order date announcements. This year will be a good one.