Cruel Universe 2 #8 Cover Preview

 

There's no such thing as safety. Regardless of how things change, life will always present dangers. And as we push our society forward, it also changes us. How will science transform how we live? And will the machines and technologies we develop ever be about to return our love?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #8 (OF 12)

WRITTEN BY MIKE CAREY, MELISSA FLORES, JEFF JENSEN ART BY DANIEL GETE, KANO, LUKAS KETNER COVER A BY MIGUEL MERCADO COVER B BY TOM FOWLER EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD What’s that in the sky? A flaming meteor, hurtling toward Earth? An invading alien armada? No, it’s the latest issue of EC’s Eisner and Ringo Award–nominated science-fiction monstrosity . . . and no one will be spared!  In preparation for the imminent collapse of human society, give into your most deeply buried desires and distract yourself from the flaming ruin that awaits us all as the devious minds of writers Mike Carey (Hellblazer), Melissa Flores (Power Rangers Prime), and Jeff Jensen (Green River Killer) conjoin with apocalyptic artists Kano (EC’s Epitaphs from the Abyss), Lukas Ketner (Count Crowley), and more to bring our fast-devolving civilization to its much-deserved end. $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE MARCH 4, 2026

 

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COVER B BY TOM FOWLER

 

 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS

 

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER

 

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this cover preview with us.

 

Cruel Universe 2 #7 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY MIKE HUDDLESTON

Outsiders can seem threatening. But attempting to be overly self-reliant can create problems and turn potential friends into enemies. So, how should we welcome aliens when they finally arrive on Earth? And will they find a world that prizes originality, where people live in harmony with their neighbors? 

 

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

 

CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #7 (of 12)

WRITTEN BY ANTHONY MAURO, GREG PAK, & AMY ROY ART BY KANO, DAVID LAPHAM, & MALACHI WARD COVER A BY MIKE HUDDLESTON COVER B BY TOM FOWLER EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS BLACK & WHITE ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD Warm flesh! Cold technology! As an astronaut, you have collided both together in an unwieldy alliance to survive the harsh vacuum of space. Now, as you wait to see whether all of your precious airlocks and heat shields will keep you from getting freeze-dried by the very cosmos you yearn to explore, never fear—there's an all-new issue of CRUEL UNIVERSE to help you keep calm!  In the next installment of EC Comics' Eisner- and Ringo Award–nominated sensation: Stargazing writers Anthony Mauro (Salvation), Greg Pak (Planet Hulk), and Amy Roy (EC's Epitaphs from the Abyss) are transmitting live from the scene of an interstellar disaster, as coldly calculating artists Kano (Action Comics), David Lapham (Stray Bullets), and Malachi Ward (Black Hammer Reborn) record the distant pinpricks of light from their exploding space ships as they reach Earth hundreds of years later. Who said SCIENCE can't be entertaining?! $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE FEBRUARY 4, 2026

 

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COVER B BY TOM FOWLER

 

 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS

 

 

BLACK & WHITE ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER

 

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this cover preview with us.

Cruel Universe Vol 2 SC Solicit

 

 

Each issue of Cruel Universe brings you a trilogy of sci-fi terror. The stories propel you across space and time, yet hit you where you live. Can you handle a dozen glimpses of twisted tomorrows? And can reading these stories help us forge a better future?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

CRUEL UNIVERSE VOL. 2 SC ADVANCE SOLICIT

 

WRITTEN BY CHRIS CONDON, GREG PAK, J. HOLTHAM, MELISSA FLORES, CECIL CASTELLUCCI, SARAH GAILEY, RYAN HADDOCK, RIAN HUGHES, ANN NOCENTI, AND DAVE WIELGOSZ ART BY ANDREA MUTTI, BRIAN LEVEL, CHARLIE ADLARD, CLAIRE ROE, KANO, SAMI KIVELÄ, ANNA READMAN, RILEY ROSSMO, AND DAVID RUBÍN COVER BY LEE BERMEJO   At the star-lined edges of infinity, EC Comics’ Eisner and Ringo Award–nominated science-fiction smash returns to draw more worlds into the maw of its gravitational vortex!   Whether future or past, Earth or a distant world, no man can outrun the infinite singularity within us all: FEAR! Join our next doomed expedition into the cold, unforgiving galaxies beyond our own as nihilistic navigators Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), Cecil Castellucci (High Strangeness), Chris Condon (Ultimate Wolverine), Melissa Flores (Biker Mice from Mars), J. Holtham (The Horizon Experiment), Ann Nocenti (Daredevil), Greg Pak (Planet Hulk), Riley Rossmo (Batman: Black & White), David Rubín (Black Hammer), and many more splice the immortal EC Comics genome into a new breed of parasitic extraterrestrial tales . . . with an endless appetite for pain!   Beyond space, beyond oblivion . . . there is something vast, unsympathetic, and envious that yearns to consume us all in this CRUEL UNIVERSE! Let’s make it work for it, shall we?   Collects Cruel Universe Vol. 2 #1–4.   $19.99 | 136 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE JULY 22, 2026 IOD: 1/31/2026 FOC: 6/29/2026

 

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this advance solicit with us. 

Cruel Universe 2 #6 Preview

 

COVER A BY MIKE HUDDLESTON

 

Creativity is a strength, and ingenuity is a good thing. But sometimes, we can be too inventive for our own good. Do you dare to peer into what the science of tomorrow will bring? And where our penchant for experimentation will take us?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #6 (of 12)

WRITTEN BY CORINNA BECHKO, MARIA INGRANDE MORA, & GREG PAK ART BY SEBASTIAN CABROL, FABIANA MASCOLO, & KELLY WILLIAMS COVER A BY MIKE HUDDLESTON COVER B BY TOM FOWLER EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD You’ve just landed on a barren, alien world . . . cold, remote, and devoid of any signs of life . . . except for the ominous, throbbing hum from the planetary core that drills a message straight into the synapses of your human nervous system: THE NEW ISSUE OF CRUEL UNIVERSE IS HERE! SURRENDER YOURSELF! OR BE ATOMIZED! In this galaxy or the next, you’d be a fool to miss EC Comics’ Eisner- and Ringo Award–nominated sensation as it hurtles forward with all-new tales of twisted science and terrifying tech! Join writers Corinna Bechko (EC’s Blood Type), Maria Ingrande Mora (Ranger Academy), and Greg Pak (Ronin Island) alongside artists Sebastian Cabrol (The Seasons Have Teeth), Fabiana Mascolo (Catwoman), and Kelly Williams (The Dead and the Damned) as they rewire the strands of EC’s immortal DNA into a new kind of inhuman monstrosity! $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE JANUARY 7, 2026     Here are more cover options:     COVER B BY TOM FOWLER   EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS   B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

 

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us. 

Cruel Universe 2 #8 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY MIGUEL MERCADO

 

Cruel Universe wields cutting edge science fiction with razor-sharp social commentary. Each issue shows us the glorious tomorrows awaiting us while warning us of our Human foibles. What thought-provoking stories are EC Comics and Oni Press bringing our way next?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #8 (OF 12)

WRITTEN BY MIKE CAREY, MELISSA FLORES, JEFF JENSEN ART BY DANIEL GETE, KANO, LUKAS KETNER COVER A BY MIGUEL MERCADO COVER B BY TOM FOWLER EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD What’s that in the sky? A flaming meteor, hurtling toward Earth? An invading alien armada? No, it’s the latest issue of EC’s Eisner and Ringo Award–nominated science-fiction monstrosity . . . and no one will be spared!  In preparation for the imminent collapse of human society, give into your most deeply buried desires and distract yourself from the flaming ruin that awaits us all as the devious minds of writers Mike Carey (Hellblazer), Melissa Flores (Power Rangers Prime), and Jeff Jensen (Green River Killer) conjoin with apocalyptic artists Kano (EC’s Epitaphs from the Abyss), Lukas Ketner (Count Crowley), and more to bring our fast-devolving civilization to its much-deserved end. $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE MARCH 4, 2026 IOD: 1/31/2026 FOC: 2/9/2026

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY TOM FOWLER

 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS

 

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER

 

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us.

New to the Cruel Universe anthology series? See my review of Cruel Universe 2 #5.

Cruel Universe 2 #5 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO

 

Life in space is hard. Sure, you rely on the people around you. But you also rely on your equipment, and the systems that keep you alive in the cold, uncaring void. Cruel Universe 2 #5 introduces readers to Cole Queller. He's more loyal to his ship than most people are to their friends. He's someone worth meeting. His story will linger with you long after you read "Hope Endures," and the other stories in this new issue.

Here's all the info from Oni Press: 

CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #5 (of 12)

WRITTEN BY CORINNA BECHKO, RYAN HADDOCK, & ANDREW WHEELER ART BY KANO, ANDREA MUTTI & MORE COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO COVER B BY LIAM SHARP EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY LIAM SHARP ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD IN THIS CRUEL UNIVERSE, PERCEPTION IS REALITY . . . AND REALITY IS PAIN! Join petrifying pioneers Ryan Haddock (The Brothers Flick), Amy Roy (EC’s Epitaphs from the Abyss), and EC newcomer Andrew Wheeler (Another Castle) as they probe the far reaches of space for any pinprick of hope . . . and artists Kano (Gotham Central), Andrea Mutti (EC’s Cruel Kingdom), and more heed the call to bring the latest batch of technological terrors to the page! Will a stranded pilot find salvation? Will a terminally ill tech titan live on in prosperity? Will advancements in AI eliminate all strife and conflict? Our on-board systems are reading "no," but you’ll will have to pick the latest installment of EC's Eisner and Ringo Award–nominated science-fiction sensation to see what the future truly holds! ON SALE DECEMBER 3, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FC

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY LIAM SHARP

 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY LIAM SHARP

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this cover preview with us.

Cruel Universe 2 #3 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO

 

A story that'll evoke a Twilight Zone episode, a tale that'll remind you of not-so-long-ago events, and something to ponder the next time you gaze up at night, and see a streak of white racing toward the heavens. EC Comics delivers fun, thought-provoking sci-fi tales with a cosmic power-punch!

Here's all the info on this upcoming issue:

 

CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #3 (of 12)

WRITTEN BY CECIL CASTELLUCCI, SARAH GAILEY & RIAN HUGHES ART BY KANO, ANNA READMAN & CLAIRE ROE COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO COVER B BY GREG SMALLWOOD EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY GREG SMALLWOOD ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD Corporate greed, human desperation, technological despair! Such postulations all are but tiny specks swallowed by the unforgiving void of CRUEL UNIVERSE! EC’s Eisner Award–nominated sci-fi horror anthology continues its deep dive into futuristic depravity and darkness with three new tales from writers Cecil Castellucci (Shade the Changing Girl), Sarah Gailey (Eat the Rich, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and, in his EC writing debut, Eisner Award nominee Rian Hughes (Batman: Black and White). Illustrating their dark visions are Kano (EC’s Cruel Universe), UK comics sensation Anna Readman (2000 AD), and Claire Roe (EC’s Epitaphs from the Abyss)! Witness as these stellar creative teams probe deep into the dark void of space—and the human soul—in what’s sure to be another stark installment of the Eisner-nominated series! ON SALE OCTOBER 1st, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FC

Here are more cover options: 

 

COVER B BY GREG SMALLWOOD

 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS

 

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY GREG SMALLWOOD

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us.

EC Cruel Universe #2 Preview

COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO

 

This is a cool comic series. Each issue is filled with short Science Fiction stories. The first issue tackled racism, our relationship to our aquatic friends, and the role of anger in reaching for the stars. Yes, Commander Saru, it's okay to scream! EC Comics is worth screaming about!

Here's all the info on this upcoming issue:

 

EC CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #2 (of 12)

WRITTEN BY CHRIS CONDON, MELISSA FLORES & DAVE WIELGOSZ

ART BY SAMI KIVELÄ, CLAIRE ROE & RILEY ROSSMO

COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO

COVER B BY TOM FOWLER

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER

ARCHIVE EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 3rd, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FC

IOC: 7/26/2025

FOC: 8/11/2025

 

EMBRACE OBVILION AS YOUR PHYSICAL BODY SACRIFICES ITSELF … ALL IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE! Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, and William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. are proud to reveal a first look at the story “Ham Radio” by Melissa Flores (Power Rangers Prime) and Claire Roe (Dark Spaces: The Hollywood Special) from CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #2 (of 12) – the next installment of the Eisner Award-nominated science-fiction anthology series featuring a stellar group of creators forcing readers beyond the brink of reality itself! 

For millennia, mankind has earned to explore the stars. Foolish humans—that was your first mistake! Like a stray space capsule that’s unexpectedly escaped our solar system and is now cursed to rocket forward at ever-escalating velocities that will slowly reduce its crew to a slick film of goo, EC Comics proudly presents a new roster of callously cosmic tales positively oozing with pain, paranoia, and the pent-up regret of human ambition! To copilot this doomed survey of the stars, join writers Chris Condon (Ultimate Wolverine), Melissa Flores (Power Rangers Prime), and Dave Wielgosz (Batman: The Brave and the Bold) as they execute the logarithmic calculations that could save our explorers . . . only for the danger-defying artists Sami Kivelä (Abbott), Claire Roe (Dark Spaces: The Hollywood Special), and Riley Rossmo (Harley Quinn) to bear witness to inescapable galactic calamity of their all-too-human hubris. Whoops!

Yes, human, it has been foretold in our data tablets: You will gaze in slackjawed wonder as CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #2 (of 12) crosses the vacuum of space to deliver new allotments of optical ingenuity in the form of comic book covers by Lee Bermejo (Joker), Tom Fowler (Epitaphs from the Abyss), Albert Monteys (Slaughterhouse-Five), and Malachi Ward (Black Hammer: The End) to begin a eons-long rein of EC Comics-inspired cosmic terror! You wanted to live life as a sentient being … Now pay the price in CRUEL UNIVERSE 2 #2 (of 12) – on sale September 3rd!

Plus: Also on sale in September from Oni Press and EC Comics – There’s no rest for the wicked as CATACOMB OF TORMENT #3 presents three tales of fear and frightful persecution fresher than the bludgeoned corpses in your quiet neighbor’s basement! Join our brutally beloved host, the Tormentor, to visit violently vivid vivisections upon our artfully agonizing creators Valeria Burzo (EC’s Epitaphs from the Abyss), Ryan Haddock (The Brothers Flick), J. Holtham (Hulu’s A Handmaid’s Tale), Sami Kivelä (Abbott), Christopher Mitten (Hellboy & The B.P.R.D.) and Joanne Starer (Fire & Ice) as EC’s brand-new and all-out brutal horror anthology continues its experiments in human anatomy! 

For more updates on Oni Press, visit them on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

Here are more cover options:

ARCHIVE EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY MALACHI WARD

 

COVER B BY TOM FOWLER

 

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY TOM FOWLER

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY ALBERT MONTEYS

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this preview with us.