Blue Palo Verde

by Ray Fawkes, Rifan Kartakusumah (colorist), Frank Cvetkovic (letterer)

Folk Horror set against the backdrop of the desert of the American Southwest. Lush, weird visuals with psychedelic leaf greens and blood reds running into the panels.

An ex-con searches for her missing father in a cultish oasis town called Promise in this folk horror tale set against the backdrop of the American Southwest. Newly released from prison, Kristine Woods discovers that her father has disappeared into a mysterious town hidden in the New Mexico desert. When she arrives to the town of Promise, though, she doesn't find an average Southwestern town but an oasis of blossoms and lush greenery in the desert... and a sheriff that wants her gone by sunset! Now, it's up to Kristine to find her father and rescue him from the unnatural threat of this bizarre town and its inhabitants, even as something even more ominous and powerful lurks beneath the surface. What is she willing to give to protect not only her father but the community she's found? Eisner Award-nominated writer Ray Fawkes (One Soul, Gotham by Midnight) and visionary artist Rimanti Nurdarina invite you to explore the town of Promise and the secrets it holds in this atmospheric folk horror tale of dread and redemption set against the splendor of the American Southwest.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

120 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Ray Fawkes is the critically-acclaimed author of the comics and graphic novels Underwinter, Intersect, One Soul, The People Inside, The Spectral Engine, Possessions, and Junction True, as well as Batman: Eternal, Constantine, Justice League Dark, and Gotham by Midnight (DC), Wolverines (Marvel), Black Hammer '45 (Dark Horse), Jackpot! (AfterShock) and more. He is an Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster award nominee and a YALSA award winner.

Ray has been making comics for over 20 years, starting with and continuing the tradition of DIY fiction as well as working for many major comics publishers in the U.S. and Canada.

Reviews

[Raaven💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I hope this isn’t the end of this series! I really like where the story is going for this. There’s just a lot of unanswered questions and a cliffhanger ending that I hope gets resolved in a later book. How did her Dad get to that town? Did he know it was a cult and that’s why he left his car? This was a super interesting beginning!

[Federica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

An interesting short graphic novel, where I was particularly struck by the style and intensity of the artwork. The story itself is not particularly original, but it touches on elements of folklore that, in my opinion, are always compelling.
The narrative inevitably focuses entirely on the events that occur after Kristine arrives in Promise in search of her father, but many questions remain about how he got there. Even later, when the supernatural force reveals itself in the city, there are still many uncertainties about how it works and what happens next.
An enjoyable read, but one that ends with many unanswered questions - too many to seem intentional.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was weird. That’s not a bad thing, but it was a confusing thing. A gal, just out of jail goes searching for her father, and it brings her to a cult that believes in blood sacrifices. They help keep the town profitable. But the leader of the town/cult changes with age one when the newest leader has their plans interrupted things go crazy. This book was okay, but not something I would read again.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blue Palo Verde follows Kristine Woods, a recently released ex-con, who searches for her father and finds him in a cultish town called Promise. The town is hidden in the New Mexico desert and Kristine quickly noticed something strange. The desert town is filled with flowers and greenery. Sensing something bad, she finds her father and quickly tries to help him escape. However, the sheriff isn’t going to let them leave so easily…

I wish there was more! I really enjoyed the illustrations and color contrast. I loved how Kristine had a tattoo of a deer on her chest. It matched the Goddess Pallana. I found the story interesting, but it ended abruptly. I wish the lore behind the goddess was explored a little deeper. I had some questions in the end, but it was still a fun folk horror read!

Thank you, NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios, for the ARC.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was fairly short, but it feels fully fleshed out. This story doesn't draw itself out to up the tension, but rather slowly throws bits of information at you. The main character feels very grounded, and she's a fairly interesting protagonist. The course of this story happens in roughly 24 hours, so it moves pretty quickly. The story is a folk tale turned into a horror story, but I was compelled while reading it. The art was my favorite part; it looked so good and matched perfectly with the story's tone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley for a free eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a complete story in 5 comic issues bound together in this collection. I thought the story was succinct and interesting. It felt like a cosmic horror as a metaphor for drug dependency or something like that. It also has interesting ideas of breaking cycles and self-accountability. The art in this comic is really great although it could use some more dynamic paneling. Overall worth a read!

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Few things come more surprising to me than the fact the creator of "One Soul", "The People Inside" and "Junction True" is also behind this muddled Cormac-McCarthy-goes-folk-horror effort, where a woman fresh out of prison finds a bizarre town peopled by worshippers of some plum tree goddess, when she arrives to redeem herself to her dying father. I mean, I know I gave this author the lowest marks for some DC nonsense a decade ago – but this is more creator-owned, and therefore there is no excuse.

[Crimson Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Netgalley, for an advanced readers copy of this graphic novel for an honest review.

we follow a woman who gets out of jail. wanting to find her father and live a good honest life but stumbles into a cult and everything gets crazy.

during reading this I loved the art work along with the story it helped to engulf me in more devouring each page wishing it was longer, I am excited to continue on when the next volume comes out to see what happens next

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for early copy for review*

Beautiful art accompanied this story of a woman getting out of prison and wanting to reconnect with her father. The story is only set over two days and I enjoyed how self-contained it was. The only thing lacking from it being 5 star for me was I did not fully emotionally connect to the characters in such a short read. Still would recommend and it's perfect for spooky month!

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was fine. art was okay. colours were okay.
issues three and four were odd/pacing of the series as a whole was odd, in that those issues were just daughter and father trekking to a location chased by the sheriff.
they felt like one issue divided in two. page count restrictions, not the creators fault entirely.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mad Cave have had a solid run this year.

[Santiago Gª Soláns · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.9/10