First Brat Throws a Party in Visaggio and Zarcone’s “Marilyn Manor”

IDW Publishing have announced “Marilyn Manor,” a new four-issue series from writer Magdalene Visaggio (“Kim & Kim”) and artist Marley Zarcone (“Shade the Changing Girl”) due out later this year. Set in August 1981 during a 17-day period when the White House goes dark, the comic follows the titular daughter of the President (or “First Brat”), as she and her best friend Abe (who claims to be possessed by Abraham Lincoln) decide to throw the party of the decade – and things get weird, with seances, secret passageways, and “time-bending mystical romps.”

In a statement, Visaggio described the series as “the weirdest thing I’ve ever written in the best way possible, like an apocalypse directed by John Hughes.” She added, “We’ve been trying to capture the feel, the excitement, the energy of the rise of the New Romantics, of the decade that embraced excess and excitement in hugely over-the-top ways, and filled it with chaos and insanity.”

The series will be edited by Shelly Bond, although it will not be published by IDW under her Black Crown imprint. Bond commented on the series, “There isn’t an artist alive who could perfectly capture the style and verve of the early ’80s like Marley Zarcone. Coupled with [colorist] Irma Kniivila’s vibrant palette, ‘Marilyn Manor’ is for readers who like a bit of pop art and revisionist history with their coming-of-age satire.”

“Marilyn Manor” #1 will be released in June. In the meantime, head to The Hollywood Reporter for some colored previews.