Real-life Louisiana urban legend the Grunch takes a bite out of comics with Intrusion

Intrusion
(Image credit: Daniel Govar (Heavy Metal Entertainment/Magma Comix))

Upcoming Heavy Metal Entertainment horror comic Intrusion follows a French Acadian family as they try to find a new home in rural Louisiana but are met with a monster that has lived there for centuries: the Grunch.

(Image credit: Daniel Govar (Heavy Metal Entertainment/Magma Comix))

Scheduled to debut September 22, Intrusion comes from writer Ethan Sacks and artist Marco Lorenzana for the new creator-driven imprint of Heavy Metal, Magma Comix.

"Intrusion may be a fictional work of fantasy, but it's firmly rooted in the real history of the Acadian French who were cast out of Canada by the British on their way to becoming the Cajuns of Louisiana," Sacks tells Newsarama. "That history has been rattling around my head for years, as has an unhealthy obsession with cryptozoology. So when I found out that there is a local Louisiana legend about a type of creature called the Grunch, the whole idea came together like chocolate and peanut butter."

Intrusion centers on a French Acadian family called the Broussards, who migrate from Canada to the Louisiana bayou in the late 1760s. Desperate for a second chance, they settle on an unwanted plot of land that's said to be cursed by the locals. What they'll find is that the curse lives in the swamp next door, the Grunch.

"I'm excited to work with Ethan on this book and to help bring these fantastic adventures to life," Lorenzana says. "The challenge of merging an occult world with a specific historical context really sold me on this project."

Sacks and Lorenzana are joined by colorist Erick Arciniega, letterer Jaime Martinez, editor Denton J. Tipton, and cover artist Daniel Govar.

(Image credit: Daniel Govar (Heavy Metal Entertainment/Magma Comix))

"Four years ago, I made my comics debut with an eight-page story in an issue of a Marvel Comics anthology series. Working with artist Marco Lorenzana was such a great experience that we made a blood vow to work together again one day on a creator-owned project," Sacks says. "Then Denton J. Tipton, an editor I long admired and wanted to work with, approached me with an offer for his brand-new imprint, Magma Comix: 'What story would you like to tell if you could, format restrictions be damned?' This is that story."

Intrusion is a 36-page one-shot horror comic that makes use of the flipbook format to tell this story from two distinctive viewpoints; half from the human side of things, and half from the monster's point of view.

News of Intrusion comes out today, the same day two of his Marvel comics, Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #13 and Heroes Reborn: Squadron Savage #1, go on sale.

Intrusion goes on sale on September 22.

Need a good scare? Check out our list of the best horror comics. 

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)