Mayday Trippe—author and illustrator of Something Terrible, creator of Butterfly, cofounder of Project: Rooftop, and cohost of The Last Cast podcast—is bringing us something altogether new: Hallows, a creator-owned comic depicting a teenage nonbinary superhero named Moonshine. Written and illustrated by Mayday, the comic is lettered by Micah Myers, famous for work with big labels like Dark Horse and IDW.
Warning, the rest of the post contains minor spoilers for the beginnings of the story of Hallows and its world.
Hallows
Hallows is a project unlike anything else in comics, with new forms of magic, new interpretations of the afterlife, and a system of supernatural creatures that redefines classic monsters like vampires and werewolves and their hidden manipulations of society. At its heart, Hallows promises to be a powerful story of good vs. evil, with a superhero unlike any we’ve seen before.
Moonshine
The main character of Hallows is Moonshine, an enby with a lot to grapple with. Early in the story progression, Moonshine and a friend die, but Moonshine is returned from the dead thanks to mysterious powers that turn them into a superhero. Like any teen in this situation, Moonshine faces grief, confusion, and the perpetual struggle of any teen to keep and improve their relationships with their friends, family, and love interests. I cannot wait to see how Mayday treats their new character as the story unfolds.
Representation
As always, the representation of marginalized and oppressed groups should be celebrated in art, literature, and entertainment in general. Mayday introduces us to a main character like them: Nonbinary American of the south. I firmly believe that artists should represent the groups they are part of themselves, but Mayday doesn’t stop there, which I applaud. People of color are appropriately prominent in Hallows. I think we need to take steps to celebrate artists who are people of color, but I also believe that members of other oppressed communities can help make that representation universal by participating with them in showcasing those other marginalized groups, which Mayday does in Hallows.
But the most telling depiction of the current state of America is the representation of the police. I won’t spoil that for you, but the growing distrust of the police state of America is reflected in its own interpretation in the setting of Hallows. I could not be more excited to see how Moonshine takes on a corrupt system as they try to live a normal healthy life.
How to Read Hallows
Hallows was launched on September 24th, so you can start reading now. You can get access to Hallows by supporting Mayday Trippe on Patreon, where patron-exclusive pages are released every week. You can get all of Hallows this way for only $1 per month, or you can support at a higher level to see even more of Mayday’s work or even get access to commissions from Mayday themself. Mayday has announced that they intend to publish hard copies of Hallows later, once they’ve released 80-100 pages and completed the first story.
See More
You can see some more content in this interview with Comic Book Bears, but there are some more spoilers in the video, as the hosts have previewed an extensive number of pages of Hallows.
You can also follow Mayday directly on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, or their website. These venues also have more looks at the art and stories of Hallows, if you need more eye candy to help decide whether becoming a follower or patron is right for you.
We want to wish Mayday all the best with Hallows, and we cannot wait to see how this project unfolds in the weeks to come.
