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We’ve already told you about Ignition Press’s plans for a boutique pop-up location during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and now we can exclusively tell you about one of the new titles that the start-up publisher will be premiering during the event: a “cosmic horror” series titled Roots of Madness.

Inspired in part by the real-life activist and entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker, Roots of Madness is about Etta Knight, a young Black woman at the start of the 20th century who wants to continue the family tradition of creating medicines based on natural ingredients and family recipes, but there are some secrets passed down from generation to generation that are more dangerous than they seem. The series comes from the creative team of Nubia writer Stephanie Williams and House of Slaughter artist Letizia Cadonici.

"After spending years pursuing security and stability, I left my ‘stable career’ to transform the survival lessons my family taught me into creative dreams," Williams said in a statement about the new series. "Roots of Madness emerged from this blend of survival and ambition. Etta Knight embodies this transformation: a brilliant 1905 chemist who takes her ancestors' healing knowledge — and pushes it beyond what they ever imagined.”

“I'm just so proud and happy to be part of this comic,” added artist Cadonici. “I feel so connected to Etta, I believe she is a stunning character, and when I first read the script I remember I thought that I've never read about someone like her before.”

“When I reached out to Stephanie to discuss doing a book with us. I was curious what she would come back with. As I hoped, she returned with something that only she could do,” explained Ignition Press editor in chief Jamie S. Rich, who said that the pitch for the series “immediately grabbed us.  From its foundation in fact, to the specificity of its themes, the story has the fire of truth behind that makes great horror. It’s not just scary for what happens, but how it comments on our humanity, using the problems of the past to highlight our failures in the present. With Letizia and Alessandro on board, you know all the frights will come through in the most evocative ways.”

Fans will get their first chance to sample Roots of Madness for themselves at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, where it won’t just be the comic on show — fans will be able to get exclusive merch, too, including an art print, canvas tote, and unusually, two types of scented hair gloss developed in collaboration with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, all from the previously announced Ignition Press Room in San Diego’s Gaslamp district. Stephanie Williams will also be appearing at the location for scheduled signings across the weekend. Take a look at some of the merch in the gallery below.

San Diego Comic-Con 2025 runs July 24 through 27 at the San Diego Convention Center, California.

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