First Look: CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID #1 – Are You Ready for Level 2 of Zac Thompson & Daniel Irizarri’s Cyberpunk Horror Odyssey?
The Genre-Warping Saga That Began with CEMETERY KIDS DON’T DIE Reloads with An All-New Jumping-On Point – – But Can You Survive Another Descent into the Dreamwave?
COVER A BY DANIEL IRIZARRI
PORTLAND, OR (July 3, 2025) BEING ONLINE PUTS YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE!– Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is proud to present the first look inside CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID #1 – an all-new jumping point for the serotonin-splattered video game horror hit from Zac Thompson (Into the Unbeing – Parts 1 & 2) and Daniel Irizarri (EC’s Cruel Universe, Judge Dredd) that began with CEMETERY KIDS DON’T DIE! On August 13th, sit back, relax, and surrender your mortal consciousness to the CPU of the Dreamwave – the world’s first video game system played exclusively in your sleep – even though its players sometimes don’t wake up…
“CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID is Nightmare on Elm Street meets Sword Art Online,” said Zac Thompson. “The series follows four friends who use a bio-console to play an Elden Ring-like game in their sleep. If they die in the game - they wake fully rested. Except that the last part is a lie. (See CEMETERY KIDS DON’T DIE!). Some players, called Cemetery Kids, never wake up. Their minds are trapped inside the game (or inside the bio-console?), while their physical bodies rot in the real world - comatose. Until now. One Cemetery Kid just woke up. But is he still human? Or has a malignant piece of code just crossed the species barrier?”
One year ago, four friends barely escaped the unrelenting terror of the video game called Nightmare Cemetery. After spending endless hours locked into the innovative Dreamwave—the first gaming console played entirely while you sleep—in order to save one of their own from the game’s all-too-real consequences, they survived . . . barely.
But after their harrowing rescue, they’ve decided they’ve had enough of Nightmare Cemetery and its enigmatic final boss, the King of Sleep. That is, until the newest DLC, The Blighted Sprawl, suddenly appears online with a promise to reveal the truth of what actually lurks at the heart of Nightmare Cemetery’s digital darkness . . . and why its effects are now bleeding out into the real world in an array of bizarre and disturbing new ways.
"With CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID, we're reaching new depths of derangement and we're doing it in style,” said Daniel Irizarri. “Our characters' RPG avatars are fully equipped to handle everything but their sanity spiraling out of control. The negative effects of the Dreamwave console and the Nightmare Cemetery game manifest in new and gruesome ways as the allure of the latest game expansion THE BLIGHTED SPRAWL brings old and new players back into its claws, but who is YHOZG, the expansions new final boss???"
PRAISE FOR CEMETERY KIDS DON’T DIE
“Does a fantastic job of dragging readers into its world while giving comic and horror fans alike quite a bit of grotesque eye-candy along the way.” — COMICBOOK.COM
“Peer's vibrantly colored artwork certainly makes the piece come to life by expertly switching from video-game-style gore and inventive monster design to full on body horror at the right moments. An interesting premise that will appeal to fans of horror and video games. ”
— BOOKLIST
“One of the most imaginative and timely comic book releases of 2024.” — DAILY DEAD
“A chilling reflection on the cost of overreliance on technology and the seductive power of virtual realities to reshape our identities and relationships, sure to resonate with both horror and science fiction fans.”
— LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Vicious artwork [and] honest writing… The work in this comic has blown my mind repeatedly. Every time I read it, I find something new… A stunning work of art.”
— GATE CRASHERS
“Zac Thompson’s writing is exceptional, attention-grabbing, and thought-provoking… The artwork is just as inspiring as the writing… Cemetery Kids Don’t Die stands out as a brilliant example of a comic book that combines story and art magnificently. Zac Thompson and Daniel Irizarri craft a world that is immersive, thrilling, and uniquely executed. Cemetery Kids Don’t Die creates an engaging, captivating, and terrifying narrative that can easily pull readers in and keep them hooked.”
— CAPES AND TIGHTS
Featuring reality-bending covers by Daniel Irizarri (XINO), Martin Simmonds (The Department of Truth), and Gegê Schall (Far Down Below), prepare yourself because the system just starting to reboot as CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID #1 uploads to shops everywhere August 13th!
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CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID #1 (OF 4)
WRITTEN BY ZAC THOMPSON
ART BY DANIEL IRIZARRI
COVER A BY DANIEL IRIZARRI
COVER B BY MARTIN SIMMONDS
COVER C BY GEGÊ SCHALL
FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY MARTIN SIMMONDS
ON SALE AUGUST 13, 2025 | $4.99 | 32 PAGES | FC
IOC: 6/19/2025
FOC: 7/21/2025
CEMETERY KIDS DON’T DIE VOL. 1
WRITTEN BY ZAC THOMPSON
ART BY DANIEL IRIZARRI
COVER BY DANIEL IRIZARRI
$17.99 | 112 PGS | FC
CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID #1 INTERIOR ART BY DANIEL IRIZARRI
CEMETERY KIDS RUN RABID #1 INTERIOR ART BY DANIEL IRIZARRI
COVER B BY MARTIN SIMMONDS
COVER C BY GEGÊ SCHALL
FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY MARTIN SIMMONDS
About the Creators
Zac Thompson is a multidisciplinary writer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics, including the eco-horror title Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land and showrunning the Age of X-Man event. He has also written characters like Batman and Swamp Thing at DC Comics. In 2017, Zac released his critically acclaimed debut graphic novel, The Dregs. His 2018 follow up, Come Into Me, was named one of the Best 100 Horror Comics of All Time by Pastemagazine. In 2021, his science-fiction horror series I Breathed A Body was called one of the best comics of the year by SYFY. In 2022, Thompson's original screenplay The Replacer was selected for production financing from Telefilm Canada. Zac has also written stories for Vice, Huff Post, IGN, Seraphim Films, Image Comics, and many other publications. When Zac's not out foraging for mushrooms or cycling, you can find him at the cinema or walking his dog, Astra.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Daniel Irizarri has been illustrating or drawing comics for the majority of his life. His art can be found in various projects, including Cloudia and Rex published by Magnetic Press, Judge Dredd: The Blessed Earth and Star Trek Waypoint 2019 one-shot from IDW, and the Oni Press anthology XINO. Additionally, his art can be seen in the Kickstarter hit Holy West, and a variety of self-published efforts like his Otherworldly sci-fi and fantasy artbooks. He spends his days on the north coast of the island with his lovely girlfriend and their cats.