Junepurrr’s fan-favorite Webtoon series SubZero is coming to print via Oni Press and today, The Beat can reveal interior art and exclusive commentary from the creator. SubZero Volume 1 will collect episodes 0-25 of the Webtoon, which has garnered over 375 million reads and more than 3 million subscribers since its debut in 2018.
The fantasy series follows Princess Clove, whose desperation to save her people from total destruction means marrying her greatest enemy. She’s the last heir of the Cerulean Dragon clan, which has been in a seemingly endless war against the Crimson Empire for more than three centuries. When she enters into a political marriage with Crimson Dragon heir Prince Kyro as part of a peace treaty, she’s surprised to feel a growing attraction toward him.
But Clove is hiding something and Kyro knows it. And as tensions rise between them and the war seems like it might continue despite their marriage agreement, things become increasingly dangerous for them both.
The Beat can reveal an exclusive preview from SubZero Volume 1, about which creator Junepurrr has provided the following commentary:
“Whenever I start a story, I like to draw the interaction between the most crucial characters to help me show off their chemistry and let the reader know what to expect. I wanted the reader to feel the Crimson Dragon’s dangerous presence as it stands next to Kyro and surrounds Clove. Very often, the Dragons’ presence is felt first by the characters before it is seen (of course we as the audience can see it). The red candle shown in the first panel is a recurring motif that plays into this. It is often shown before Kyro walks on screen and is meant to evoke a sense of mystery, passion, or danger. Fun fact, the candle was my editor’s idea and I spent an entire day painting it before we decided it was perfect!”
“SubZero is a love letter to fantasy stories, palace dramas and romance, created as an escape during a very low period in my life,” said Junepurrr in the announcement of the print edition. “While the characters possess fantastical Dragon powers, the story deals with themes of duty, sacrifice, and the true strength that lies beneath a veil of fangs and scales. It is my greatest hope that readers of SubZero will find the escape and excitement I felt when I created it.”
Oni Press senior editor Grace Scheipeter added, “Dragons, love triangles, danger, and magic combine in this action-packed romance fantasy graphic novel. SubZero is the perfect graphic novel for fans of Lore Olympus, Fourth Wing, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and My Dear Cold-Blooded King. Kyro and Clove’s enemies-to-lovers romance edges on steamy in this first volume, with more romantic tension and encounters to come!”
SubZero Volume 1 will be available digitally and at your local comic shop on September 25.
