Aspiring Sleuths Will Love to Solve the Spooky and Supernatural Mysteries Inside of Oni Press’ Fall 2027 Slate of Middle-Grade Graphic Novels!
Featuring TALES OF LAKE EERIE: JAKE IN THE LAKE and LIGHTS OUT: MYSTERY AT THE MERIDIAN
PORTLAND, OR (October 28, 2026) – Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is proud to announce their slate of middle-grade and YA graphic novels for fall 2027, featuring two spooky, supernatural, and mysterious books. Readers will meet twelve-year-old weirdologists solving paranormal mysteries in their small town in TALES OF LAKE EERIE: JAKE IN THE LAKE by Eisner and GLAAD nominee and coastal Lake Erie native David M. Booher (Canto, Ghostbusters) and Sarah K. Turner (Besties, T.S. Hullabaloo) and solve an IRL mystery with budding video game sleuths in LIGHTS OUT: MYSTERY AT THE MERIDIAN by award-winning author Kristen Kiesling and amazing artist Lesley Vamos.
“Next fall Oni Press will offer an abundance of amazing books for young readers,” said Oni Press Editor-In-Chief Sierra Hahn. “Bring your inner sleuth to Oni Press and delve deep into the magic, wonder, and nostalgia of childhood with Booher and Turner's Tales of Lake Eerie, a charming exploration of strange creatures and the unknown deep in neighboring waters . . . Investigative work continues in Kiesling and Vamos's Lights Out that brings to mind the great mysteries of Agatha Christie for readers of all ages!”
TALES OF LAKE EERIE: JAKE IN THE LAKE
WRITTEN BY DAVID M. BOOHER
ART & COVER BY SARAH K. TURNER
For fans of paranormal mysteries and monster mythos, from Eisner and GLAAD nominee and coastal Lake Erie native David M. Booher (Canto, Ghostbusters) and Sarah K. Turner (Besties, T.S. Hullabaloo) comes the first volume in a new middle-grade graphic novel mystery series, where Scooby Doo meets The Last Kids on Earth, perfect for readers who love adventures in their own backyard, puzzle solving, and monsters . . . maybe . . .
Twelve-year-old best friends and founders of the Sperryville, Ohio Weirdologists, Jac, Maria, and Wayne believe scary things happen in their coastal town along Lake Erie, even if no one else believes them. Together, the three friends rely on their unique talents and knowledge of town history to investigate cryptids, track down ghosts, and search for monsters, all while trying to convince the townsfolk to see the strangeness all around them and believe in the unbelievable.
When a local kid claims to see a monster in the lake, Jac, Maria, and Wayne are the only ones to take his sighting seriously. Launching an official investigation, our trio track down clues that all point to one place . . . the old Sperryville lighthouse. Is the reclusive and mysterious Lighthouse Keeper Bones Braddock keeping a monstrous secret about this elusive “Jake in the lake”? When the investigation hits a dead end and the Weirdologists face more and more teasing from the local kids, they must make a tough choice—should they stick to their monster-hunting mission or give up and blend in?
“At twelve years old, who doesn't dream of digging up buried treasure in the backyard? Or finding the secret passage in the basement of the library? Or coming face to face with…a lake monster?” said writer David M. Booher. “When I was a twelve-year-old weirdo growing up on the coast of Lake Erie, Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew taught me to check for secret passages under our local lighthouse and hidden messages on the statue of our town founder. Tales of Lake Eerie is my love letter to recapturing the sense of spooky adventure that’s still out there, if you're clever enough to spot the clues and follow them!"
“As a life-long fan of unraveling mysteries and listening to spooky campfire tales, this story and setting excited me like no other,” said artist Sarah K. Turner. “Sperryville, or ‘Scary-ville’ as it’s known amongst our three protagonists, offers a rich world of cryptids, ghouls, and goblins that you don’t want to miss!”
$16.99 | 152 PGS | FC
On Sale: 9/14/2027
LIGHTS OUT: MYSTERY AT THE MERIDIAN
WRITTEN BY KRISTEN KIESLING
ART & COVER BY LESLEY VAMOS
When the power suddenly goes out in the Meridian apartment building on Halloween, can three budding sleuths sniff out a crime perpetrated in the dark? Spy School meets Only Murders in the Building in this marvelous middle-grade whodunit from Kristen Kiesling (The Harrowing) and Lesley Vamos (The Bizarre Bazaar), where friendship and puzzle solving crack the case!
Maria, Felix, and Damon may live in the same building but they don’t know each other, or that they are all avid players of the popular online mystery game Enigma. For these twelve-year-old puzzle solvers, Enigma is everything—online, they have picture-perfect lives, can befriend anyone, and are the best detectives this side of the Hudson River. But all that changes when a storm wipes out their building’s power and Wi-Fi, and now Maria, Felix, and Damon must step out of their gaming bubbles and enter the real world. Venturing out into the halls to trick-or-treat in the dark, the unlikely trio stumble upon injured resident curmudgeon Mr. DeGrynch. The police think it was an accident, but our trio suspects foul play.
Joined by loyal doggo Sleuth and armed with a makeshift detective command center, Maria, Felix, and Damon track down clues and culprits that all point to one thing . . . a crime was committed at the Meridian on Halloween night, and it’s up to them to solve it. But is our trio ready to finally swap their online game with IRL adventure?
“Puzzles are addictive. I love gaming but I’m also drawn to logging off and grabbing Unsolved Case Files, Clue, or Murdle,” said writer Kristen Kiesling. “Lights Out is a puzzle-solving adventure where the reader must unravel clues, piece together the narrative, and outsmart every twist and turn. Lesley Vamos’ art brings this story to life! And Sleuth, our charming Wire Fox Terrier, steals the show. He was inspired by my own dog who is now sixteen! What kid doesn't want to solve mysteries with new friends and a four-legged sidekick?”
“This is the longest graphic novel I have done to date and if I'm being honest, it felt a little daunting getting started. However, thanks to the way Kristen writes, I found the layout and characters came to mind really quicky, and the clearer I can see it in my head the easier it is to get onto the paper!” said artist Lesley Vamos. “Giving each character their own unique way of moving and communicating has been a fun challenge as well as trying to keep each background fresh despite the locations being very similar. It's pushed me to see each setting as a 3D space so I can move my camera around to find the best and most dynamic angles. I hope others fall in love with this little band of misfits as much as I have!”
$16.99 | 232 PGS | FC
On Sale: 11/9/2027
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About the creators of TALES OF LAKE EERIE
David M. Booher grew up in a small Ohio town on Lake Erie, where he was one of the first Weirdologists. He’s now a screenwriter, director, and Eisner- and GLAAD-nominated comics writer who has written stories for Ghostbusters, Dungeons & Dragons, Firefly, Disney’s Frozen, Avatar: The Last Airbender,and Legendary’s Monsterverse. He cocreated the all-ages fantasy series Canto (Dark Horse),and his LGBTQ-focused comics have twice appeared in the New York Times in honor of Pride Month. Once upon a time, he was a practicing lawyer. Now he lives with his husband and their greyhounds in Grand Canyon National Park, where he’s spotted deer, foxes, elk, and that one Sasquatch which may have been a tree stump (but definitely was not).
Sarah K. Turner lives with her wonderful partner, deaf dog, and (way too many) houseplants south of Brisbane, Australia. When not illustrating graphic novels, she can usually be found testing new recipes in the kitchen or trying to survive the Aussie heat on the beach. Turner loves to make people laugh and aspires to spread love, acceptance, and positivity through her work.
About the creators of LIGHTS OUT
Kristen Kiesling is a creative napper, theater-loving foodie, and extremely good at one thing—scaring herself. Originally from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, Kiesling now lives in Houston with her husband and two sons. She is the award-winning author of the young adult graphic novel The Harrowing (Abrams, 2024).
Lesley Vamos has designed for animation, dabbled in board game illustration, and worked on more than sixty children’s books. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and when she’s not drawing, she’s probably having fun with her boys and small doggo, Penny.
ONI PRESS
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THE LOUDEST THING IN COLOR SINCE '97. For nearly 30 years, Oni Press has carved a distinctive path as one of the world's most respected and acclaimed publishers of award-winning comic books and graphic novels, including Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer, Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt's The Sixth Gun, Brenna Thummler’s Sheets trilogy, Jay Stephens' Dwellings, Ezra Clayton Daniels' Upgrade Soul, LySandra Vuong's Covenant, and many hundreds more. In 2019, Oni Press merged with Lion Forge Comics – the Eisner Award-winning independent comic book publisher founded by Academy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur David Steward II – to create one of the largest, independent libraries of comics content anywhere in media. The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group now exists as a publishing subsidiary of Steward’s diversified global media company, Polarity.
The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group publishes more than 60 original and licensed graphic novels annually, in addition to an extensive roster of periodical comics for globally recognized properties including Adventure Time, Biker Mice from Mars, Choose Your Own Adventure, Cult of the Lamb, EC Comics, Murder Drones, Rick and Morty, and more.