DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Total Party Killers, Five Monsters Star in Four-Issue Miniseries

Lycanthrope "The wizard Custos has died, and his lair lies ripe for the taking! As adventurers raid the lair for treasure, the monsters enthralled by Custos in life must protect his domain even after his death. That is, unless the creatures can trick someone into releasing them! Thus, a lycanthrope, gelatinous cube, mind flayer, death knight, and baby beholder form their own adventuring party to win their freedom in a hostile world!" That full premise, published by Dark Horse Books, is the blunt hook for Christopher Hastings’ new four-issue comic series DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Total Party Killers, announced by Dark Horse and Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast on March 7, 2026. Hastings leads the scripts while Denis Medri handles the art, Dan Jackson brings color, and Lucas Gattoni letters the series, a creative lineup printed in the publisher’s press copy.

Gelatinous cube Dark Horse’s pitch explicitly positions the miniseries as "gathering five iconic D&D monsters into their own adventuring party," a deliberate flip of the usual player-versus-monster setup. The gelatinous cube, usually a hazard for low-level parties, becomes a protagonist with agency, problem-solving around mobility and stealth rather than viscera. Collectors should note the first issue’s cover program: Elizabeth Beals, Michael Walsh, and Lukas Ketner provide covers alongside a Matías Bergara 1:20 incentive variant and one blank character sheet cover for issue #1, giving both display and play-friendly options for shops and buyers.

Mind flayer The mind flayer’s presence promises a psychological twist: these are creatures enthralled by Custos who now face the cognitive and social challenges of freedom in a hostile world. The narrative stake is explicit—the monsters must protect the lair after Custos’ death, unless they can trick an adventurer into releasing them—so alliances, deception, and telepathic bargaining are built into the premise. Dark Horse’s press materials frame this as a story about monsters learning to survive outside of the wizard’s control, which should let Hastings explore voice and perspective shifts absent from most D&D comics.

Death knight On the production side, the series is presented as a four-issue miniseries with Issue #1 (of 4) arriving in comic shops July 22, 2026. "The monster party kicks off on July 22, 2026, when DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Total Party Killers #1 (of 4) arrives in comic shops. It is now available for preorder from your local comic shop for $4.99." Those are Dark Horse’s exact sales details: the on-sale date and the $4.99 cover price, plus the explicit instruction that preorders are open through local comic shops. The creative résumés are also explicit in the press copy: Christopher Hastings is credited with The Adventures of Dr. McNinja and The Unbelievable Gwenpool; Denis Medri is credited with Red Hood/Arsenal and Spider-Verse; Dan Jackson’s credits include Stranger Things and Star Wars; Lucas Gattoni’s credits include Harley Quinn and Absolute Green Lantern.

Baby beholder A baby beholder rounding out the party promises both menace and humor, and the marketing leans into Dark Horse’s broader D&D slate by pairing this announcement with promotional praise for another Dark Horse D&D title. The press packet reproduces three blurbs for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: The Fallbacks #1: "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: The Fallbacks #1 is both a solid introduction to the world of D&D and an adventure that's laced with plenty of humor." — AIPT Comics; "Even if you have no idea who Tess, Anson, Cazrin, Lark, Baldric, or Uggie are, The Fallbacks is an easy series to jump into and still have fun!" — Gaming Trend; and "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: The Fallbacks #1 is an entertaining start as the classic property finds a new comic publisher with Dark Horse. . . . It’s a casual adventure that is welcoming to all who want to join the party." — Graphic Policy. Dark Horse and Wizards of the Coast are presented as the publisher and IP partner for Total Party Killers, and the initial issue program, price, and preorder window are the only distribution specifics provided in the press material; no digital schedule, solicitation codes, or later issue dates were announced.

Across these five monster-led sections the facts are simple and concrete: this project was announced March 7, 2026; it is a four-issue miniseries written by Christopher Hastings with art by Denis Medri, colors by Dan Jackson, and lettering by Lucas Gattoni; issue #1 lands in comic shops July 22, 2026, priced at $4.99 and available for local comic shop preorder; and collectors have multiple cover options, including a Matías Bergara 1:20 incentive and a blank character sheet cover for issue #1. The promise at the heart of the pitch is that familiar threats will become protagonists, and the question the creative team is selling is how five very different monster archetypes will learn to function together when freedom is the prize.