Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby Gets A New Comic Series From Mad Cave Studios

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Posted in: Comics, Mad Cave Studios | Tagged: alex raymond, chris sebela, Rip Kirby, Tango

Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby Gets A New Comic Series From Mad Cave Studios

Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby gets a new comic from Mad Cave by Chris Sebela and Tango as "Only Murders in the Buildings meets Knives Out"

Published Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:57:11 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Article Summary

  • Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby returns in a new Mad Cave Studios comic by Christopher Sebela and Tango, launching in November 2026.
  • The revival is pitched as Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby meets Only Murders in the Building and Knives Out-style mystery.
  • Created in 1946, Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby redefined detective comics with brains, science, and sharp observation.
  • Mad Cave's new Rip Kirby series revisits the classic sleuth, Honey Dorian, and Desmond for a fresh crime saga.

Christopher Sebela and Tango are reviving Alex Raymond's newspaper strip detective character Rip Kirby for a new series from Mad Cave Studios in November 2026. Described as"Only Murders in the Buildings meets Knives Out", it will be collected in April next year.

Rip Kirby originally ran for 53 years, from 1946 to 1999, and was distributed by King Features Syndicate. King Features editor Ward Greene, who suggested a modern "detective-type" strip. Raymond handled the artwork and scripting, while Greene wrote the early stories. After Greene's involvement ended, Fred Dickenson took over writing duties around 1952. Alex Raymond won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1949 for his work on it. When he died in a car "accident" in 1956, John Prentice took over the art, who won awards from the National Cartoonists Society in 1966, 1967, and 1986. Other artists, including Al Williamson and Frank Bolle, assisted or ghosted at times.

Remington "Rip" Kirby is an urbane, intellectual ex-Marine who becomes a private detective and criminologist after World War II. Unlike many hard-boiled pulp detectives of the era, he is more refined and relies heavily on brains, science, and observation rather than pure action, though there was always a bit of that too. Judith Lynne "Honey" Dorian, his longtime girlfriend, is a fashion model named after Raymond's daughters, and his English butler Desmond is a reformed burglar and safecracker. Rip Kirby was a major success, quickly gaining wide newspaper distribution and influencing later detective and adventure strips. IDW Publishing's Library of American Comics reprinted the complete run in hardcover volumes, starting with Raymond's era and continuing through Prentice's tenure. Sebala and Tango have a lot to live up to…

Rip Kirby #1
(W) Christopher Sebela (A) Tango (CO) KJ Díaz (L) Jeff Eckleberry (CA) Annie Wu
CHRISTOPHER SEBELA & TANGO REMAKE A CRIME FICTION LEGEND! War hero. Star athlete. Brilliant scientist. Savvy private investigator. Rip Kirby's reputation is long-secured, and these days he's enjoying the post-war boom of New York City. With gorgeous and quick-witted Honey Dorian at his side and reformed criminal valet Desmond running the show, it's a perfect life, and perfectly balanced. It's been perfect for what seems like forever… But Rip's world is about to get complicated, and his unflappably decent ways newly tested. Up against a world that seems to be growing too fast, can an upstanding man of morals and fair play like Rip remain himself or, he will be swallowed up by the ugliness? In 1946, co-creators Alex Raymond and Ward Greene introduced a new, sophisticated kind of detective, Rip Kirby, a detective who stood apart from the hard-boiled heroes of the era. Solving cases through intelligence, scientific reasoning, and careful observation rather than brute force, Kirby helped redefine crime fiction and left an enduring mark on newspaper strips for generations to come. Now, two-time Eisner-nominated writer Christopher Sebela (High Crimes, Dead Letters) and rising star artist Tango (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Archie Horror) bring Rip Kirby to a contemporary audience with a mystery series as charming as it is thrilling. $4.99 November 4, 2026

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