AWA Studios is bringing writer Sarah H. Cho and artist C.P. Smith back together for Pickles’ Mommy Is a Murderer, a mature-rated one-shot built around an unusual detective pairing: a pet psychic and a retired police dog. The comic is scheduled for January 20, 2027, carries a $6.99 price, and features a cover by Rahzzah.
The premise begins with Klarisse, described as the leading pet psychic in the Pacific Northwest. Her work involves interpreting the concerns of animals, from anxious corgis to pets whose behavior suggests they are trying to communicate something important. Her latest client is Pickle, a chihuahua with unsettling things to say about her owner, Melanie. What begins as an animal consultation turns into a potential murder investigation when Klarisse suspects that Melanie may be a killer—and possibly a serial killer.
Klarisse is not left to investigate alone. She teams with Louis, a former K-9 police dog who has struggled to find a sense of purpose after retirement. The setup gives the story two complementary investigative tools: Klarisse’s ability to understand what animals tell her and Louis’ police-dog experience, including his sense of smell. The central question is whether that combination can turn Pickle’s alarming account into proof before the situation gets more dangerous.
A supernatural hook with a procedural partner
At its core, Pickles’ Mommy Is a Murderer uses a familiar mystery structure: a witness has information that authorities might not immediately accept, a possible crime is hidden behind an ordinary public face, and an investigator needs help connecting clues. The twist is that the key witness is a chihuahua and the person capable of hearing that witness is a pet psychic.
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That premise matters because it establishes a built-in problem of credibility. Klarisse may hear Pickle’s story, but a pet’s testimony is not conventional evidence. The solicitation does not explain how the investigation will unfold or what Melanie has allegedly done, so it would be premature to assume the comic will answer every question in a particular way. But Louis’ background offers a practical counterpoint to Klarisse’s paranormal profession. His training and instincts can potentially help locate physical clues, test suspicions, or guide the pair through a case that begins with information no human witness has provided.
The title also signals a sharply playful tone around grim material. A chihuahua named Pickle narrating concerns about “mommy” is an intentionally disarming setup, while the alleged crimes push the story toward murder mystery and horror-adjacent territory. The mature rating indicates that readers should not treat the pet-centered premise as evidence of an all-ages comic.
What “one-shot” means here
A one-shot is a comic issue designed as a self-contained release rather than a numbered installment in an ongoing series or a multi-issue miniseries. That does not necessarily mean a story cannot return later, but it does mean this release is being presented as a single issue. For readers, the format can make the comic approachable: there is no announced sequence of prior issues required to understand Klarisse, Louis, Pickle, or the mystery at the center of the book.
It also changes the storytelling challenge. A one-shot has limited space to introduce its protagonists, establish a strange investigative premise, develop the danger surrounding Melanie, and deliver a satisfying case. The supplied details do not identify the page count, so there is no basis to predict exactly how expansive the story will be. Still, a compact format suits a premise that can quickly move from an odd job to a pointed mystery: an anxious animal has something to say, its owner may be dangerous, and the people who believe the animal have to act.
The creative reunion
Cho and Smith previously collaborated on Camgirl, and their reunion is a notable part of this release. Cho’s listed comics work also includes Red Light, while Smith’s credits include Archangel 8, Wolverine Noir, X-23: Target X, New Invaders, X-Men Unlimited, Star Wars: Republic, StormWatch: Team Achilles, Ten Grand, Antarctica, Destiny Gate, Witchblade, and Sins of the Salton Sea.
Cho is described as a screenwriter and comics writer whose work often blends genres while engaging with subjects including sex, technology, identity, mental health, power dynamics, Asian fetishisation, and sex workers’ experiences. Her screen credits include work as a staff writer on The Girl from Plainville, executive story editor on the second season of Them, project development at Riot Games, and a horror feature written for CryptTV.
Those credits do not reveal the plot of Pickles’ Mommy Is a Murderer, and the available description does not say whether it will tackle any particular themes from Cho’s earlier work. They do, however, establish a creative background that spans horror, adult material, genre storytelling, and comics. Smith’s body of work likewise ranges across superhero, science-fiction, crime, and other genre comics, while his previous collaboration with Cho provides a direct connection to this new project.
Why Louis is more than a sidekick premise
Louis’ role could be the story’s most useful grounding device. A K-9 unit is a police canine unit, typically associated with specialized tasks such as tracking and scent work. The description specifically identifies Louis as an ex-K-9 police dog and calls out his keen nose, which gives the comic a clear reason for him to participate beyond comic relief or companionship.
More importantly, Louis’ retirement supplies an emotional motive. He has been “floundering” without the purpose he once had. A mystery that lets him employ old skills places personal stakes alongside the criminal question. Klarisse has determination and an unusual service built around animal communication; Louis has discipline, experience, and a need to feel useful again. Their partnership is therefore framed as mutually beneficial rather than simply convenient.
Pickle, meanwhile, is positioned as both client and initiating witness. This creates a three-animal dynamic around Klarisse: the frightened chihuahua who brings the warning, the retired working dog who can help investigate, and the human psychic responsible for deciding what to do with information others cannot hear. It is a compact cast architecture with plenty of room for personality contrast, though details beyond those basic roles have not been disclosed.
AWA’s place in the release
AWA Studios is an independent comics publisher and multimedia entertainment company based in New York City. It was founded in November 2018 by Axel Alonso, Bill Jemas, and Jonathan F. Miller. Its creative council has included J. Michael Straczynski, Reginald Hudlin, Garth Ennis, Gregg Hurwitz, Margaret Stohl, and Frank Cho.
The publisher’s listed titles include The Resistance, Archangel 8, Sins of the Salton Sea, Red Light, and Camgirl. That catalogue provides direct connective tissue to the new one-shot: Smith worked on Archangel 8 and Sins of the Salton Sea, while Cho is associated with Red Light and Camgirl. In that sense, Pickles’ Mommy Is a Murderer is not simply a new pairing assembled from unrelated credits; it reunites collaborators within a publisher where both creators already have relevant history.
Release details
- Title: Pickles’ Mommy Is a Murderer
- Format: One-shot
- Rating: Mature
- Writer: Sarah H. Cho
- Artist: C.P. Smith
- Cover artist: Rahzzah
- Publisher: AWA Studios
- Price: $6.99
- Scheduled date: January 20, 2027
For readers drawn to offbeat mysteries, the appeal is straightforward: a supernatural interpreter of pet testimony, a retired K-9 officer, and a small dog whose story may expose a murderer. The available synopsis leaves the identity of the culprit, the nature of the evidence, and the outcome of the case undisclosed. What is clear is that Cho and Smith are returning to work together on a self-contained mystery that treats animal communication as the start of an investigation rather than its punchline.
