The opening of Mark Russell's story reminds me of Stephanie Plum visiting her parents for dinner. No matter how conventional the setting, things can get a little crazy. Like Janet Evanovich, Mark Russell leavens his stories with humor. Yet he also weaves a strain of thought-provoking social commentary into his terrific tales.
At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Mark Russell asked, "What happens if you learn more about your family and realize you no longer like them?" He also viewed his story as a metaphor for contemporary life in the United States. How will his new story relate to your forthcoming holiday reunions?
Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:
THANKSGIVING #1 (one-shot - 48 pages)
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist & Cover Artist: Mauricet
Release Date: October 22, 2025Cover A: $7.99
Cover B: Blood for Dinner variant: $7.99 1:3 unlock
Cover C: Turkey Death variant $7.99 1:5 unlock
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
An intense, timely one-shot from Mark Russell (X-Factor, SECOND COMING) and Mauricet (HOWL). Thanksgiving—a day when American families come together, until the strain inevitably tears them apart. But for one family, the cruel and deadly secret of the Turkeyneck Killer binds them together in the saddest, most shameful way possible.
Thanksgiving: a day for American families, when the alienated, the estranged, and the politically antagonistic come together to perform unity—until the strain inevitably tears them apart. But for one family, the addition of a cruel and deadly secret—involving the continuing rampage of the mysterious Turkeyneck Killer—solidly binds them together in the saddest, most shameful way.
This fall, pull up a chair at your own risk at THANKSGIVING, a gory and timely new horror-comedy one-shot from writer Mark Russell (X-Factor, Second Coming), artist Mauricet (Howl), letterer Rob Steen and publisher AHOY Comics. The oversized 48-page issue about a family dinner gone horribly wrong will feature three grisly covers by Mauricet—a main cover, a “Blood for Dinner” variant, and a “Turkey Death” variant—and land in stores on October 22, 2025… just in time to ruin your holiday.
“Thanksgiving is a black comedy using the most American of holidays as a metaphor for what our nation is in danger of becoming,” said writer Mark Russell. “t tells the story of a nuclear family with many of the same divisions you find within our nation and how deep the rifts between people become while we aren’t paying attention. About how a monster lurks in plain sight, but we choose not to see it.”
“Welcome to the Grandts family's Thanksgiving dinner,” said artist Mauricet. “Please take a seat at the table. We are about to start serving the meal. For the appetizer, you will have a bit of dysfunctional America wrapped in cynical humor. For the main course, we offer you one of the most original serial killers the country has known. Still hungry? Expect a rather surprising dessert…”
"Mark got mad about something big and wrote this story—I think to help process it,” said AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. “I think it'll help us all process it. Whenever he gets mad, I hope he brings it to AHOY. Mauricet, meanwhile, is doing the best work of his career, but then he always seems to be."
The darkly funny one-shot THANKSGIVING #1 will land in comic shops on October 22, 2025.
For more updates on AHOY Comics, visit them on X, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram.
Now, let's take a look inside:
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Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.
About AHOY Comics
AHOY Comics debuted in the fall of 2018 with the bold promise for readers to expect more from its line of comic book magazines, featuring comic book stories, poetry, prose fiction, and cartoons. Brainchild of publisher Hart Seely, editor-in-chief Tom Peyer, CCO Frank Cammuso, and Ops guy Stuart Moore, the Syracuse-based indie publisher has made its reputation on witty satires, acclaimed creators, and commitment to bold and risk-taking storytelling — with critically acclaimed titles such as THE TOXIC AVENGER by Matt Bors and Fred Harper, SECOND COMING by Mark Russell and Richard Pace, BABS by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows, HOWL by Alisa Kwitney and Mauricet, THE WRONG EARTH by Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle, JUSTICE WARRIORS by Matt Bors and Ben Clarkson, the quirky monster anthology PROJECT: CRYPTID, and many more.
About the creators
Mark Russell is the author of not one, but two, books about the Bible: God Is Disappointed in You and Apocrypha Now. In addition, he is the writer behind various DC comic books such as Prez, The Flintstones, and Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles. He lives in obscurity with his family in Portland, Oregon.
Mauricet is a Belgian comic book artist. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil in his right hand. His career started 36 years ago in Belgium and France working for some of the big publishers in Europe. For the American market, he has worked on such titles as Tellos, The Crossovers, Harley Quinn, The Gang of Harleys, Dastardly & Muttley, Future Quest, Star Wars adventures, Swine and Creepshow. More recently he has been steadily collaborating with AHOY Comics drawing stories for Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Terror and Project: Cryptid as well as the miniseries G.I.L.T. and Howl, both co-created and written by Alisa Kwitney.