Frank Miller Announces A New Comic Book With Peach Momoko At Lucca Comics & Games 2026
Legendary comic book creator Frank Miller has announced that he is once again teaming up with celebrated artist Peach Momoko for an entirely new graphic novel project. The revelation was made during a press roundtable at the 60th-anniversary celebration of Lucca Comics & Games, Europe’s largest comic convention, currently taking place in the historic Tuscan city of Lucca, Italy.
The announcement immediately generated significant buzz among attendees, international press, and industry insiders. It cements a creative partnership that began with their acclaimed collaboration on Tears of the Spider-Queen, a standout story featured in Marvel Comics’ milestone Amazing Spider-Man #1000.
A Transatlantic Creative Partnership Rooted in Horror and Tradition
Speaking to reporters at the festival, Miller expressed profound admiration for Momoko’s artistic sensibilities and unique approach to the horror genre. Reflecting on their previous work together, Miller detailed how the collaboration allowed him to explore thematic territory he had rarely touched upon throughout his decades-long career.
"What I really got to explore more was something I’d really never explored, which was I’d seen some Japanese anime and Japanese manga that included horror stories, and they have a completely different concept of what horror is," Miller told the roundtable. He drew a direct line from classic Japanese art to Momoko’s contemporary execution, citing the 19th-century watercolor prints of master printmaker Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, specifically his Ghosts series, which depicts samurai haunted exclusively by female spirits.
"There’s a very female sense and vitality to the supernatural in Japanese ghost stories," Miller continued. "And so, to work with Peach, I got to throw her stories involving the supernatural and then see what she conjured. And some of it was a lot scarier than anything I would have imagined. She’s a wonderful talent. She’s just a young prodigy; we’re doing another book soon. And I hope to enjoy getting to work with her more, but more just watching her explode."
The announcement served as a prelude to their scheduled Marvel Legacy panel at the Auditorium San Romano. Billed officially as an exploration of the intersection between American comic book traditions and Japanese manga sensibilities, the panel centered heavily on the stylistic fusion that defined their Amazing Spider-Man collaboration.
Expanding Global Reach and Regional Releases
The timing of the announcement coincided with the release of specialized international editions tailored for the European market. Panini Comics timed the weekend release of the Italian-language edition of their Spider-Man collaboration, published as a standalone volume titled Amazing Spider-Man: Le Lacrime della Spider-Queen. The European launch drew substantial attention, with collectors and fans eager to secure physical copies of the prestige edition.
Major European cultural outlets have dedicated extensive coverage to the creators during the festival. Italy’s Corriere della Sera published a major profile framing Miller not as a nostalgic industry veteran, but as a living architectural force whose gritty narrative foundations permanently redefined the modern superhero genre. Simultaneously, L’Espresso featured an in-depth interview with Momoko ahead of the convention. In the profile, Momoko described the collaboration with Miller as a career milestone and a personal dream realized.
The Historical Backdrop of Lucca Comics & Games 2026
The setting for the announcement holds profound significance for the global comic industry. Lucca Comics & Games stands as the premier comic convention in the Western Hemisphere and ranks second worldwide only to Tokyo’s massive Comiket.
The festival’s roots trace back to 1965, when it originated as the Salone Internazionale dei Comics in the coastal town of Bordighera. The event relocated permanently to Lucca in 1966, gradually expanding during the mid-1990s into the sprawling multimedia celebration known today as Lucca Comics & Games. The festival famously overtakes the entirety of Lucca’s medieval walled city center, transforming ancient piazzas, fortifications, and historic buildings into vast exhibition pavilions, interactive play areas, and artist alleyways.
The 2026 edition marks the festival’s monumental 60th anniversary. Running through the weekend, the massive cultural summit features over 80 publishing houses and more than 400 international guests. Alongside Miller and Momoko, industry luminaries such as legendary manga creator Go Nagai and Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski are participating in panels, masterclasses, and signing sessions. While official ticketed attendance regularly hovers around 300,000 paid participants, hundreds of thousands more travel to the surrounding region to experience the vibrant public atmosphere, costumed cosplay gatherings, and live entertainment.
Industry Implications and Future Outlook
The confirmation of a secondary project between Miller and Momoko highlights an ongoing trend of cross-cultural creative pollination within the major American comic book publishers. By bridging Western noir and superhero tropes with traditional Eastern supernatural folklore, creators like Miller and Momoko are pushing narrative boundaries that appeal to an increasingly globalized readership.
As Marvel Comics continues to experiment with anthology formats, milestone issues, and cross-continental talent pairings, the upcoming book by Miller and Momoko is expected to be positioned as a major publishing event. While specific plot details, release windows, and format specifications for the new book have not yet been officially disclosed by Marvel, the enthusiastic endorsement from Miller suggests that production is already well underway.
For now, international fans at Lucca and collectors worldwide are left anticipating further details about the supernatural project, ensuring that the creative momentum generated in Tuscany will reverberate across the comic book industry for months to come.
