Vanadium Comics Presents:

ARKADI-LAMPPOST NEWSLETTER

By Staff Writer Tina Hayward

“No Story Is Too Dark”

Behind the Mask: Jorge Valdes Brings Arkadium’s Heroes to Life

Citizens of Arkadium, brace yourselves! The streets may tremble under the weight of crime and shadow, but there is light being kindled in an unexpected place—an art studio bathed in color, grit, and imagination.

Vanadium Comics founder and storyteller Jorge Valdes is deep in the creative trenches once again—this time, armed with brushes, ink, and a fierce passion for our city’s bravest and boldest. Jorge has recently begun painting stunning acrylic portraits of our elusive rooftop runner, Märlük the Street Avenger. Known for his brutal elegance and green-glowing eyes, Märlük has become a symbol of resistance and redemption. These portraits, we’re told, capture the raw emotion of a warrior who bears the weight of the city's darkness on his shoulders.

But paint is only the beginning.

Valdes is also hard at work scripting Issue #1 of The Retri-Butcher, a blood-and-bone tale of justice, scars, and vengeance. Readers can expect a story that doesn’t flinch—where the line between hero and monster is drawn in crimson. The Retri-Butcher, known for his military precision and weapon mastery, is on a relentless crusade to bring order to chaos, one cleaver swing at a time.

And if that weren’t enough, Jorge is penning the heroic chronicles of Ben and Hiroshi, two unlikely allies caught in Arkadium’s deadliest nights. Whether it’s battling Renfields, shadow-creeping Empusas, or unraveling the secrets behind the Sons of Crete, these two men are proving that courage comes in all forms—and sometimes with a spiked bat or detective badge.

Valdes’s art and storytelling remind us of one important truth: in Arkadium, no story is too dark.

Stay tuned, citizens. The city may groan, but our heroes are rising—one panel, one brushstroke, one story at a time.

Until next time,

Tina Hayward, Arkadi-Lamppost

"Truth in the shadows. Justice in the ink."