We announced the return of classic British romance comic Roxy back in April, and now we've got an exclusive preview of one of the stories from the hotly-anticipated revival. 'Flowers for Agatha' by Ragwort Wood writer and artist Sarah Gordon is one of four new tales from the comic, which also contains work from Alex de Campi, Erica Henderson, Magdalene Visaggio, Sterric, Nadia Shammas, and Jaws Stone.
"I've previously been known more for my horror writing than romance work," Gordon explains. "Flowers for Agatha comes from a similar root sensibility to other stories (folklore inspired, with elements of the macabre to it), but with less misery and murder, and more, er, snogging."
The story, she says, is "a short exploration of what might happen if you ran into The One Who Got Away again years after they got away... but in this instance The One Who Got Away is a bit dead now. But that's okay because you're a witch and you can do stuff about that." Check out the preview in the gallery below.
The original Roxy was a weekly romance comic that ran from 1958 to 1974, and which featured a mix of serialized comic strips, one-off tales, and text stories. According to publisher Rebellion, the new version "revives the spirit of classic British romance comics for the 21st century, featuring unexpected and dynamic love and lust across four fun and flirty stories!"
Those other stories are "supermodel heist thriller" 'The Getaway Girls' by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson; 'Banmore' by Magdalene Visaggio and Sterric, described as "a time-travelling story which pays tribute to regency romance," and the sci-fi-flavored 'What I Was Made For' by Nadia Shammas and Jaws Stone, "a story of love, loneliness and companionship" between a human and a mech.
A Kickstarter has been launched to fund the 80-page book, with several different versions available to choose from, including two exclusive hardbacks with cover art from Marguerite Sauvage and Tula Lotay, which you can see in the gallery above along with Hannah Templer's cover for the regular paperback. A retro-style special edition paperback is also available, as are a range of Roxy enamel pins, prints, and tote bags. You can check out all the options and get involved here. Roxy is estimated to ship to backers in December.
Check out our guide to some of the best horror comics of all time.
