“Rosy Press specializes in publishing romantic fiction and nonfiction aimed at attracting a diverse readership,” says Asselin. FRESH ROMANCE forges a new future for romance comics with modern characters, stories and a wide array of genres. FRESH ROMANCE’s inaugural stories include:
- A twist on the iconic high school love story by Kate Leth (KATE OR DIE), Arielle Jovellanos (FIVE), and colorist Amanda Scurti, in which a queer couple keep their relationship under wraps by pretending to compete for the same, equally secretive guy.
- A Regency-era romance by Sarah Vaughn (ALEX + ADA) and Sarah Winifred Searle (SMUT PEDDLER) about a couple headed to the altar despite a mutual lack of enthusiasm for their marriage. (Spoiler: period costumes and culture are consummately researched.)
- An otherworldly tale by novelist Sarah Kuh, who has a three-book prose book deal with DAW Books and who is penning her first comic with Sally Jane Thompson (RED JACK) and colorist Savanna Ganucheau, in which a cynical, supernatural barista is trapped in this world… until she helps enough lonely souls find love.
- The first cover from Kevin Wada, a former fashion illustrator, who uses his hallmark watercolors to depict Leth and Jovellanos’ high school heroines.
Rewards available exclusively through the FRESH ROMANCE Kickstarter campaign support three-month, six-month, and ongoing subscriptions, including the opportunity to be drawn into a story, an original comic to propose marriage to your loved one, and one-of-a-kind prints and commissions, including: Five commissions by Chris Burnham (BATMAN, INC. THE UNNAMED); a Gene Ha (TOP 10, 4-Time Eisner Award Winner) sketch commission; a Dustin Nguyen-drawn original page from the Stephanie Brown BATGIRL series; a commission of Harley Quinn by DC and Marvel artist Carmen Carnero; and an original page from the Stephanie Brown BATGIRL series drawn by Pere Perez.
“With our digital platform, FRESH ROMANCE can reach a diverse set of readers,” said Asselin. “FRESH ROMANCE is the comics answer to the popular modern romance novel, and we can digitally deliver it to anyone, anywhere, anytime.” FRESH ROMANCE content will be available in a variety of digital formats: via ComiXology or as a PDF, CBR, or ePub file, and will always be DRM-free. Unlike their real-world counterparts, FRESH ROMANCE stories never end – they will later be published as ebook collections.
“Thanks to our ongoing anthology format, the kinds of stories we feature will be constantly evolving,” said Asselin, who recently appeared in the documentary SHE MAKES COMICS. “The magazine will be R-rated, so while not all of the individual chapters or stories will be racy, there will be some adult content. These aren't your mom's romance comics. Our goal is to bring avid comics readers and those new to comics together to enjoy the romance genre.
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