Andrew Wheeler, the award-winning writer behind Wonder Woman: Agent of Peace and the Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer's Guides, will pen a new series set in the competitive world of varsity tug-of-war, Love and War. The series features art by Killian Ng and Guillermo Saavedra, letters by Aditya Bidikar and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, colors by C.R. Chua and edits by Allison O’Toole. The first of five issues will debut on April 12 digitally as a ComiXology Original, and in print from Dark Horse Books in September.
Love and War is set in Rosecastle, "a city of poets and soldiers, romantics and revolutionaries," where two rival academies contend for the tug-of-war championship. This year, the Aster Academy team is determined to win against their rivals Kingdom College. The protagonist is Domo Novak, a heavy-set and shy boy who is surprisingly named co-captain after the star of the team, Gabriel, unexpectedly defects for Kingdom College. Domo will have to struggle not only to earn his captain spot under pressure from his rival and co-captain Jocasta but also with his feelings for Gabriel and for the new recruit, Emil.
“Love and War is a romantic sports comedy about how our conflicting passions can pull us in different directions,” said Wheeler. “It’s a fun, upbeat, inclusive rom-com about love, friendship, and competition in a world that takes varsity tug-of-war much too seriously!" Enjoy this exclusive preview of the cover and the first pages of Love and War, courtesy of ComiXology.
The setting of the story, with the fictional city of Rosecastle and the rival academies, seems influenced by romantic fantasy, similarly to Wheeler's fantasy comic series, Another Castle, with the added tones of sports competition and school life. Wheeler, who is also the editor of the Prism and Shushter-nominated queer young adult anthology Shout Out, is perfectly comfortable in telling this story that will use sports competition as a platform for showcasing young people dealing with the pains of love and the struggle of finding how they fit in the world around them.
Readers and comic book fans who want to know if Domo will be able to lead his team to victory in the glorious yet merciless world of varsity tug-of-war should check out Andrew Wheeler's new series Love and War when the ComiXology Original is released digitally on April 12. It will be available in print from Dark Horse Comics in September 2022, and is available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
