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The Owl House writer and Witch Boy creator Molly Knox Ostertag will serialize her next graphic novel Darkest Night exclusively through Substack.
The Owl House writer Molly Knox Ostertag will be serializing a new graphic novel exclusively through Substack.
In an interview with Polygon, the cartoonist, whose graphic novel series The Witch Boy is currently being adapted into an animated film with Netflix, announced that she will be releasing Darkest Night in weekly installments for paid subscribers on her Substack. The story focuses on the relationship between Mags, a teenage girl who cares for her abuela, and Nessa, a trans girl returning home for the first time since transitioning. Ostertag also teased that there will be a deeper horror story within Darkest Night, as Nessa comes to terms with a mysterious death from her past.
Ostertag explained that releasing Darkest Night through Substack was a way of going back to her roots. She said, “I started with Strong Female Protagonist 10 years ago, maybe more. That was my first entry into the world of comics, and it really opened so many doors for me. So webcomics always have this very special place in my heart.” She also mentioned that the content in Darkest Night wasn’t necessarily as marketable as her other books. “It felt maybe a little old [audience-wise] compared to some of the other work I’ve done, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to change it for a publisher. So it’s been fun to write exactly what I want.”
Speaking on the content in Darkest Night, Ostertag says that it will be geared towards an older YA audience. At times, the story will address subjects such as self-harm, violence and sex. These concepts have proven to have a lot of weight in LGBTQ+ narratives, specifically within comics. Recently, Marvel and DC began incorporating more LGBTQ+ stories into their universes, with Superman’s son Jon Kent coming out as bisexual and Eternals bringing gay superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time.
In addition to her work as a cartoonist, Ostertag is one of the writers behind the Disney animated series The Owl House. The show is known for its positive representation of the LGBTQ+ community and for introducing Disney’s first non-binary character. The show recently wrapped up after the end of its shortened third season, despite vocal protest from fans.
Ostertag is the latest in a long line of names to make waves by publishing original comic book content through Substack. Over the summer, Amazing Spider-Man writer Nick Spencer was hired to oversee the company’s expansion into comics, attracting names like Donny Cates, Chip Zdarsky, Ryan Stegman, Skottie Young, Scott Snyder, Al Ewing and James Tynion IV, to name a few. Ostertag’s partner and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power creator ND Stevenson is also on the platform and currently publishes an autobiographical comic series about their life.
Source: Substack
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