Worm, Most Popular Web Serial Ever, In Print For Free Comic Book Day

Posted in: Comics, IDW | Tagged: CGD, Comics Giveaway Day, fcbd, free comic book day, John C. McCrae, Wildbow, Worm

Worm, Most Popular Web Serial Ever, In Print For Free Comic Book Day

Worm by John C. McCrae or Wildbow, the most popular web serial ever, will come to print from IDW launching for Free Comic Book Day

Published Mon, 02 Nov 2026 07:57:11 -0600
by Rich Johnston
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Article Summary

• Worm, Wildbow’s landmark web serial, is finally getting its first physical release as an IDW comic book adaptation.
• IDW will launch Worm with a Free Comic Book Day 2027 prequel issue featuring a new written piece by John C. McCrae.
• Worm #1 arrives in July, with Meghan Fitzmartin writing and Javier Ortiz, David Vaquero, and Andriy Lukin on art.
• Worm follows Taylor, a bullied teen with insect control, as she faces brutal trauma, cape politics, and moral gray zones.

John C. McCrae, better known as Wildbow, wrote Worm as a web serial between 2011 and 2013. It runs to roughly 1.68 million words. The most popular web serial of all time is not so much a novel, but rather several novels stacked on top of each other until they start blocking out the light. Or two by Alan Moore. It has earned more than a million views per month at its peak and has generated 80 million views in total. It has not, until now, had a physical release of any kind. And it seems that, thanks to IDW, its first print form will be as a comic book, launching for Free Comic Book Day/Comics Giveaway Day next year, the first title to be confirmed for the 1st of May.

IDW is changing that with a comic book adaptation, written by Meghan Fitzmartin, drawn by Javier Ortiz, coloured by David Vaquero, and lettered by Andriy Lukin. The book was brought in by Cassandra Jones, an associate editor at IDW who already knew the serial. John C. McCrae is consulting, and this is also the first announced title for Free Comic Book Day/Comics Giveaway Day for the 1st of May 2027, in the form of a special prequel issue that includes a new written piece from the author. Worm #1 follows in July.

Worm is a superhero journey that features kids unlocking their powers through extreme trauma and facing seemingly impossible odds and complex moral dilemmas. "After enduring a brutal and bloody bullying scandal, Taylor finally has the power to fight back: With her newly triggered ability to control insects, she could prove everyone wrong and become a hero… or kill anyone who stands in her way. In a world of superpowered gang members, fanatical cults, and ruthless serial killers, Taylor must navigate the dangerous politics and unwritten rules of the local "cape" scene, where the line between hero and villain is anything but clear. For Taylor, perhaps, least of all. Will she risk everything to save others, or use her power to exact revenge on those who've wronged her?"

"WORM came about as an attempt to bring superheroes and supervillains, designed as they are for the visual medium of comics, to the printed word. Here, we bring it full circle. In talking to IDW, it was refreshing that they knew the work, that they shared many of my thoughts and ideas for updating and revising the work, and that they saw the potential for WORM. I look forward to working with them and have high hopes as we bring WORM into the comics realm." – John C. McCrae

"I'm so excited and honored to work on WORM with some of the best folks in comics. I came to WORM late in the game, but I was immediately enthralled by the amazing, vibrant world John has built. "A story about complicated women, people with powers, feminine rage, and folks trying to do the right thing…with varying results? Sign me the f*ck up. Javier and David pack a powerhouse of a punch onto every page, giving WORM the brutal, tempestuous love Taylor, Armsmaster, and the Undersiders deserve" – Meghan Fitzmartin.

"WORM is such a fresh and compelling take on the superhero genre, challenging what it means to be a hero or a villain, and whether right and wrong are always so black and white when you're fighting for what you believe is good. Getting to collaborate with series creator John McCrae to bring this incredible world to comics with IDW is an absolute thrill, and it's especially exciting that this project came to IDW through series editor and IDW Associate Editor Cassandra Jones, whose own personal connection to the story first introduced us to it, and the team has already done an excellent job bringing the characters to the comics page. We're honored to give long-time fans of the web series the first-ever comic adaptation of the characters they've grown to love, while inviting new readers to discover Taylor's journey and the complicated, messy line between good and evil." – IDW Executive Editor Heather Antos

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