Crusader: Embark on An Action-Packed Fantasy Adventure in Mad Cave’s New Series

Crusader: Embark on An Action-Packed Fantasy Adventure in Mad Cave’s New Series

Mad Cave Studios is going medieval on readers with their upcoming series Crusader. The series follows a Templar Knight that finds themselves catapulted into another, dangerous realm comes from creators Matt Emmons and Andriy Lukin. Prepare to enter the Beastlands alongside the creature Grimbel who will guide your way into the new world.

Mad Cave’s series description reads:

A Templar Knight finds himself transported to a dangerous realm known as the Beastlands. With sinister entities known as The Masters hunting him down, all he has is his sword and a weird, goblin-like creature named Grimbel to guide him through this strange new world.

Emmons shares that this story will encompass everything he loves about the genre, saying:

“I’ve been trying to capture the feeling of a pulpy, fun adventure story that embodies everything I’ve loved about the genre, and I hope it translates. I’ve also been wanting to draw Pilgrim in action for years, so it’s very exciting to finally bring him to the page. Crusader has been a fun challenge!” 

Emmens goes on to share a personal connection to this series, saying:

“I was raised Catholic, though never really engaged with it or practiced beyond when I was required to. I’ve struggled trying to reconcile how contradictory some of the most extreme versions of faith can be.

It’s a common feeling I’ve found with others that feel like we have to unlearn that we don’t have to follow a certain belief system in order to be “good” and that sometimes we really do need to question systems in place rather than be party to them. The Crusader at the center of the story, struggles with a much more exaggerated version of that, trying to survive during a crisis of faith and return for the better.”

Lastly, Lukin added:

“Crusader is an adventurous and fun title that won’t leave fantasy fans disappointed. It’s a story of reevaluating your goals and principles, filled with awesome art, memorable characters and great action scenes! I’m very excited to help Matt Emmons with his artistic vision and I hope our readers will appreciate the work we put into this series!” 

A classic fantasy tale with a twist is always something to look forward to. With many tales seeing people transported to realms that are not their own, this gives off the essence of something along the lines of Army of Darkness with a dash of Overlord and I say that with pure wholehearted excitement for this series.

This also serves as a testament to the great work being done over at Mad Cave as we see the 2022 Mad Cave Talent Search winner showing his artistic prowess in this new series. A guaranteed day-one pick, you should stop reading and call your local comic shop right now.

Crusader #1 will be available at your favorite local comic shop and digitally on September 6, 2023, and will feature a variant cover by artist Michael Walsh.

Check out the preview below: