Heavy metal warriors haunt a brooding teen in this Kriss #1 exclusive

Ted Naifeh has told a lot of different stories in various genres over the years, but he excels most when he’s exploring coming-of-age narratives for outsiders who are steadfastly true to themselves. Courtney Crumrin and Princess Ugg both focused on young girls who constantly clashed with the world around them, and Naifeh’s new series with artist Warren Wucinich introduces a new angsty adolescent lead in Kriss, the son of a warlord taken from his father as a child and raised by a couple of farmers. Kriss: The Gift Of Wrath will be released as a graphic novel in the fall, but like Megan Rose Gendris’ Spectacle (one of our best comics of 2018), Kriss will be serialized digitally starting on May 1. The A.V. Club has an exclusive preview of the first chapter, introducing Kriss and the legends of the past who appear before him as apparitions throughout the story.