A Mexican bridal legend is getting a Southern California twist. Independent studio Matsuya Creative, run by brothers John and Ben Matsuya out of Orange County, will debut its new original one-shot The Bride Wore Black #1 at L.A. Comic Con on October 30, Bleeding Cool reports.
The 44-page comic launches at the Los Angeles Convention Center on the show’s opening day, alongside a limited-edition La Calavera Catrina Halloween enamel pin. The brothers will then appear at the OC Book Fair in Old Town Tustin on November 14.
A dress worth killing for
The Bride Wore Black is described as an urban fable of love, envy and generational trauma. It is set in 1920s Santa Ana in the days around Día de los Muertos and draws on the legend of La Pascualita, the Chihuahua bridal-shop mannequin long rumored to be the preserved body of the shop owner’s daughter, who died on her wedding day.
The story follows two childhood best friends, one born to a rich woman and one born to a poor woman, who grow up together in 1920s California. The poor mother spends years crafting a beautiful wedding dress from scraps at the shop where she works, as a gift for her daughter’s wedding. But the dress is so beautiful it draws covetous eyes, and murderous intentions.
Matsuya Creative’s previous release was Midnight Massacre, a 160-page graphic novel the brothers spent 12 years on, now in its second printing. Both books will be available at the studio’s convention appearances.
L.A. Comic Con runs October 30 through November 1, which puts the debut right on Halloween weekend. It is a strong season for horror comics, from small presses like Matsuya to bigger pushes like IDW’s 2027 horror initiative, and a one-shot rooted in a real folk legend is a good fit for the moment.
