The Rippaverse is ready to showcase its next hero. In a video posted earlier today, Eric July announced the launch date for Yaira #1, which will be the fourth campaign for July’s indie comic company. Yaira is written by Jen and Sylvia Soska, collectively known as the Soska Sisters, and drawn by Débora Caritá. The Soska Sisters previously wrote a Black Widow limited series for Marvel called “Black Widow: No Restraints Play,” as well as stories featuring Deadpool and the Guardians of the Galaxy, while Caritá has drawn for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and IDW. The Yaira #1 campaign will launch on March 11, 2024, and you can see Eric July’s announcement video below. (Be on the lookout for Geeks + Gamers’ own Krista Novva cosplaying as Yaira while you watch!)
In a general sense, July is wise to temper expectations for the Yaira #1 pre-sales. All three of the Rippaverse’s previous issues earned over $1 million in their pre-order campaigns, the lowest being Alphacore #1 with $1,300,694; not too shabby. You never know what will happen with each new release, so keeping your feet on the ground, especially in front of the public, is the right move. However, there seems to be a lot of hype surrounding Yaira; those shots of Krista in costume are from 2022, and she wasn’t the only one there dressed as Yaira. There appears to be more enthusiasm for her solo debut than there was for Alphacore, and that’s impressive; not to diminish the Soska Sisters, but Alphacore was written by Chuck Dixon, who co-created Bane, a villain who quickly became a mainstay in Batman’s infamous rogues gallery. If you weren’t around in the early 90s (or were too young to notice), “Knightfall” was a huge deal; like “The Death of Superman,” people who never talked about comics were talking about it. To have your comic be more anticipated than someone like Dixon is impressive. Rippaverse readers seem intrigued by Yaira, and I think the campaign for Yaira #1 could outdo Alphacore #1. We’ll find out in a week and a half, when Yaira blasts her way onto the indie comics scene and the Rippaverse gets another opportunity to prove its staying power.