Moon Knight Directors Pen a Horror Tale in Skybound Presents Afterschool #1 (Exclusive)

May 9, 2022, 10:21am

The Disney+ Marvel series Moon Knight may have come to an end, but directors Justin Benson and Aaron Morehead are applying their talents to a different type of story in Skybound’s new horror anthology series. Benson and Morehead are joined by artist Greg Hinkle (Radio Spaceman), colorist Giovanna Niro (Two Moons, Summoner’s War: Legacy), and letterer Pat Brosseau (Birthright, Manifest Destiny), and cover artist Veronica Fish (Archie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch) for the debut issue of Skybound Presents Afterschool, set to arrive in stores on June 8th. ComicBook.com has the exclusive preview of the opening tale of an emotional support dog with a killer secret.

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The preview of Skybound Presents Afterschool #1 begins with Nora, who is in the middle of a high school science class that has the kids dissecting frogs. Nora appears to be nervously sweating, which may be caused by her stellar work in slicing the frog wide open with its guts spilling out. She believes she’s never been good at anything and has also never traveled out of her town to see the world. Nora dreams of working with “Doctors Without Borders,” but also recognizes the amount of schooling it’ll take to achieve that dream. Plus she doesn’t have the best grades either. That’s why Nora’s parents decide to surprise her with an emotional support dog.

While the dog looks normal, its coloring is slightly lighter than everybody and everything else on the page. Nora is enjoying her new dog, playing fetch, eating meals together, and teaching new tricks. Again, the lighter shade of coloring on the dog leads us to believe it may be a figment of Nora’s imagination. We have to remember the story comes from Moon Knight directors Justin Benson and Aaron Morehead, who are familiar with Marc Spector’s fractured psyche.

The Afterschool anthology boasts a roster of acclaimed writers and all-star artists from comics, television, and beyond, including writing duo Kate Herron (Marvel Studios’ Loki, Sex Education) and Briony Redman (the BAFTA Rocliffe-winning Pont Brec) with artist Leila Leiz (M.O.M.: Mother of Madness, Horde), Jill Blotevogel (Scream: The TV Series) and Marley Zarcone (Shade, the Changing Girl; Effigy); and Leon Hendrix III (Two Sentence Horror Stories, Mayor of Kingstown). Each standalone Afterschool special features a unique creative team to give each issue a distinct horrifying feel, with its own relatable characters and truly chilling lessons.

Preview pages for Skybound Presents Afterschool #1 are below. The issue will be available at comic shops and digital storefronts including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on June 8th. Wednesday, June 8, 2022.