There’s Something Sinister in the Skin Cream in Dark and Demented New Thriller RUMPUS ROOM

By Will Salmon, GamesRadar+

“Scares. Squirmy satire. Skin cream.” That’s what AWA Studios are promising from Rumpus Room, a new five-issue thriller by writer Mark Russell and Ant-Man artist Ramon Rosanas.

The new series follows billionaire Bob Schrunk, whose skin condition leads him to seek treatment using an illicit face cream created by grinding up the bodies of people who have offended him. Little does Bob know, however, that one of his prisoners is a cop — and she’s armed.

“Rumpus Room is a parable for how in American civilization, on some level, we’re set against each other by forces that are too powerful for us to reach,” Russell explains in a statement. “It parallels the underlying assumption of American life as well: ‘I can’t do anything about the real things that are destroying me, so I’ll take all my rage out against the people who cross me.’ Rumpus Room is about this misguided anger that we all have and how it weaponizes us against each other.”

AWA’s chief creative officer, Axel Alonso, said of the new book, “Any project Mark Russell puts in front of me, I’m going to take a good look at it. With Rumpus Room, Mark once again displays his unique brand of black comedic social satire, perfectly complemented by Ramon Rosanas’ incredible storytelling. Rumpus Room is a dark and demented thrill ride that holds up a funhouse mirror image of the world we live in – exactly the kind of very original storytelling we want to do at AWA. I’m proud he’s a continued member of the AWA family.”

This is Russell’s second book for AWA, following last year’s Eisner Award-winning Not All Robots. The new series is colored by Ive Svorcina and lettered by AndWorld Design, with covers by Tony Harris.

RUMPUS ROOM is written by Mark Russell, illustrated by Ramon Rosanas, colored by Ive Svorcina, and letterer AndWorld Design. Issue #1 will be available Sept. 20, 2023, both digitally and in-stores wherever comic books are sold. For more information on RUMPUS ROOM and other content, visit AWA Studios on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and AWAStudios.net.