Next month, Vault Comics will publish the first issue of Sera & The Royal Stars, a new high fantasy comic written by Jon Tsuei (RUNLOVEKILL) and featuring the goregeous artwork of Audrey Mok (Josie & The Pussycats). It tells the story of a warrior princess named Sera, who is tasked by a vision of the Indo-Iranian deity Mitra with locating the Royal Stars who have all fallen to Earth, while her country is embroiled in a civil war.

I was lucky enough to see an advanced copy of the first issue, and not only is this the kind of epic storytelling that is perfect for the comics medium, it proves that there is more to the fantasy genre than worlds based off of medieval Europe — looking at you, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. Instead, Tsuei and Mok draw from Middle Eastern and South Asian myth to create wholly new and fresh worlds to explore.

It’s important to support creator-owned comics like Sera that are able to tell such diverse stories. The best way to do that is by pre-ordering copies at your local comic shop. Make sure you visit your local shop and order an issue before the final order cut-off date of June 24, 2019. The issue itself will hit store shelves on July 17.