Deep beneath the Badlands, some secrets were never meant to surface. Right when you thought the darkest horrors had been buried for good, Artists Writers & Artisans (AWA) and Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment (Weapons, It, Barbarian) are back to unearth your next nightmare with THE RISING, the latest nightmare-fueled release in The Future of Fear collection. This chilling, oversized one-shot from acclaimed screenwriter, director, and producer Gregory Widen (Highlander, The Prophecy, and Backdraft) and renowned artist Laci (DEATH RATIO’D, SHERLOCK HOLMES) will be available in stores and online on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
In a dying military town deep in the Badlands, THE RISING follows the closure of a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile base that marks the end of an era for Ray and his daughter, Atty. As the military base shutters and the town winds down, something beneath the facility begins to stir. While Ray detects strange glitches appearing in the decommissioned system, Atty uncovers impossible signs of movement among six coma patients tied to a decades-old mysterious accident, upending their plans to leave town. As the base begins to reactivate in ways that defy explanation, they realize something far more sinister is emerging beneath the surface, leaving the fate of the planet on the line.
THE RISING marks a distinct turn for author Gregory Widen, best known for creating the iconic fantasy-action franchise Highlander, thesupernatural horror-thriller The Prophecy, and the action-thriller Backdraft. With a career spanning film, television, and comics, Widen has built a reputation for crafting ambitious, genre-defining stories that blend mythology, suspense, and unforgettable horror.
“I always think the best horror comes from grounded reality,” said Gregory Widen. “Being allowed to spend time among the crews actually shutting down a nuclear missile base, including going into the silos and their buried launch centers, I gained both an appreciation and understanding of the complexities of that world that’s allowed me to create a horror story that emerges organically from it. It’s been great having the opportunity for that vision to come to life in this comic.”
The 72-page title merges a fractured small-town reality with large-scale existential horror, brought to life by Laci’s chilling illustrations that envelop readers in a world that feels alien but strikingly familiar. Following the debut of LOOK OUT and KILL OR BE KILLED, THE RISING continues The Future of Fear anthology, a cross-platform horror initiative from AWA and Vertigo Entertainment designed to launch the next generation of horror franchises across comics, illustrated storytelling, film, and television. As each title expands the collection with bold new nightmares from acclaimed creators, the Eisner-winning publisher and horror juggernaut are developing the stories for the screen, creating a unified pipeline for horror fans to discover terrifying new worlds across multiple mediums.
“The most frightening stories are the ones that feel like they could be happening right now, just out of sight,” said Axel Alonso, Chief Creative Officer at AWA. “With this new chapter in The Future of Fear, Gregory and Laci brilliantly transform bold, high-concept horror into something unnervingly intimate, uncovering the uncanny lurking beneath the everyday and making the familiar feel deeply unsettling. With Roy and the team at Vertigo Entertainment, we’re proud to be building a series of stories that push the boundaries of horror to new heights.”
AWA’s THE RISING is written and created by Gregory Widen with artwork by Laci; cover by Tim Bradstreet (LOOK OUT, THE PUNISHER), colored by Miroslav Mrva (MARJORIE FINNEGAN, DAREDEVIL); and lettered by AndWorld Design (BEAST MODE 510, BATMAN). THE RISING will be available digitally and in stores nationwide wherever comics are sold on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Additional titles in The Future of Fear collection will be revealed at a later date.
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