The tally is in, and Mad Cave Studios is bringing home some serious hardware. The publisher has announced that its northern dark-fantasy hit, Our Soot Stained Heart, took home two top-tier comic industry honors. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou won the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Lettering. Breakout artist Stipan Morian was named the recipient of the 2026 Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award.
The dual victory caps off a stellar year for Mad Cave, which earned four total Eisner nominations across its lineup. That includes Best New Series and a shared Best Writer nomination for Stephanie Williams and Asiah Fulmore’s Temporal. There was also a Best Cover Artist nod for Francesco Francavilla’s work on Dick Tracy.
What Is Our Soot Stained Heart?
Our Soot Stained Heart is from writer Joni Hägg and artist Stipan Morian. Ropemann is the colorist behind the comic that features letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
The story is set in the frozen northern metropolis of The Coalition. It sees an industrial city ruled by the merciless Governor Glass and his factory lords. Coal is the literal lifeblood of the frozen populace. Still, there’s a twisted catch to surviving the winter. To earn extra fuel from the company, workers are forced to be ruthless. When young factory worker Peggy Stones is framed, imprisoned, and exiled, she embarks on a harrowing quest to the ends of the earth to find the truth behind the city’s grim order.
A Growing Tradition of Excellence
This marks Mad Cave Studios’ second Russ Manning Award win—following Oliver Bly’s victory for The Mushroom Knight in 2024—and its second major ceremony honor after receiving the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award in 2025 for L.A. Strong: A Charity Comic for Victims of the Los Angeles Fires.
Massive congratulations to Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and Stipan Morian on their historic wins!
Our Soot Stained Heart Vol. 1 is available now at your local comic shop, favorite bookseller, and directly from Mad Cave Studios.
Mad Cave Studios has also recently announced several other comics, including Satanic Panic, Silicon Valley Screams, Hammer Head, Filthy Lambs, and the return of Rip Kirby. Stay up to date with Mad Cave Studios—and its imprints Papercutz, Maverick, and Nakama Press on social media, or visit www.madcavestudios.com to explore new releases, licensed series, and creator-owned titles.
