Bridget Underwood

Kaboom, the kid-oriented imprint of Boom Studios, has a comic coming in Spring 2017 that looks perfect for anyone who loves MasterChef Junior almost as much as Gravity Falls. Brave Chef Brianna is written by fantasy author Sam Sykes with art by Selina Espiritu, and tells the story of Brianna Jakobsson, a talented chef who opens a restaurant in a city of monsters. It seems that was the only site she could afford, and she needs to prove herself to her father, who has set up a contest between her and her brothers. But succeeding as a chef in Monster City means cooking what monsters want to eat, and that has to be a little intimidating for a decidedly non-monstrous human like Brianna.

Earlier this week, Boom Studios announced The Backstagers, a brand new young adult series by James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh that delves into the mystical and magical world that lives behind the theater curtain, and stars the stage crew of a private boys school. As the play comes together around them, no-one else knows how weird and wacky things can get backstage, and not even the crew themselves know what they'll stumble onto next. ComicsAlliance caught up with Tynion and Sygh to talk about the world of The Backstagers, creating all-ages fiction for people that need it, and teen romance. Also, we've got a ton of early development sketches by Sygh, and three covers to The Backstagers #1 by Veronica Fish, Bridget Underwood and Rob Guillory!