Author: Newsroom
| JAN. 24, 2026 (PORTLAND, OR) — Is human connection possible in our paranoid world? This February, Mad Cave Studios launches IS TED OK?, a daring, emotionally charged sci-fi thriller from award-winning cartoonist and musician Dave Chisholm (Spectrum, Miles Davis & The Search for the Sound). Blending the paranoia of Severance, the scale and strangeness of Akira, and the narrative daring of Mind MGMT and Department of Truth—every issue peels back layers of surveillance, corporate manipulation, mysterious threats, while never losing its emotional core: the human desire for connection in a society engineered to sever it. |
| This is a story about Ted and Sarah. Ted, isolated and paranoid, works for a mega-corporation owned by the world’s only trillionaire. He suffers from night terrors, obsessively draws the same mysterious figures again and again, all while listening to one track of music on repeat–oh, and the only “person” he ever talks to is a stray cat. His humanity is hanging by a thread. Sarah is a new arrival to the city, fighting her own demons, and her job is to remotely spy on Ted to ensure he doesn’t hurt anyone…or himself. When Ted’s mental state begins to crack, Sarah compassionately intervenes to help, and things go catastrophically wrong. |
Advance Praise for Is Ted OK?
“Dave Chisholm does it again, unleashing a runaway tornado of sci-fi worldbuilding, creeping paranoia, and genuine human connection… Is Ted OK? is a singular, captivating work of art from one of comics’ truly great craftsmen.” —David Pepose (Cable: Love and Chrome, Moon Knight: City of the Dead)
“Is Ted OK? is a smart, eerie look at the world we’re building and how easy it is to lose sight of each other inside it. Chisholm’s art captures something dark and uncomfortable about the human experience that you just can’t look away from.”
—Stephanie Phillips (Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider, Cosmic Ghost Rider)
“What we have here is a rarity among direct market comics – something that bends and contorts itself into one of the most unique comic experiences in recent memory, like a seriously intense Charlie Kaufman and Philip K. Dick-induced fever dream. It’s a trip; one that is wild, weird, and deeply human. Is Ted OK? is wholly original and a dynamo of graphic fiction. I should say that we are lucky to have a creator like Dave Chisholm making books like this, but I don’t think that cuts it. We are blessed.” —Chris Condon (Ultimate Wolverine, The Enfield Gang Massacre, News From the Fallout)
“In a day and age where many of us feel stuck participating in a system responsible for so much suffering in the world, a series like Is Ted OK? is a reminder that we are not alone. As Ted begins to uncover the cause of his derealization, we want more than anything to help him see the truth. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of reading a Dave Chisholm book, you know you’re in good hands.”—Caitlin Yarsky (Living Hell, Wonder Woman)
“Is Ted Ok? is immediately gripping. From its beautifully detailed retro-futuristic art, to its twist and turn mystery. Dave has written a captivating story about one of humanity’s dwindling, precious resources: caring about another person.”
—Taran Killam (SNL, Stumble, River Wild)
Is Ted OK? #1 lands in comic shops February 25, 2026, with FOC on February 2, 2026. Preorder it today from your LCS or directly from Mad Cave.
Stay up to date with Mad Cave Studios—and its imprints Papercutz, Maverick, and Nakama Press on social media, or visit www.madcavestudios.com to explore new releases, licensed series, and creator-owned titles.