Who’s a good girl? Definitely not Pickle’s mommy. From the brilliantly twisted mind of Sarah H. Cho (RED LIGHT, CAMGIRL) comes PICKLE’S MOMMY IS A MURDERER!, a darkly comedic new thriller that proves man’s best friend might also be the key to catching a killer. Today, Artists Writers & Artisans (AWA) announced the 56-page one-shot, written by Cho with artwork by C.P. Smith (CAMGIRL, WOLVERINE NOIR), arriving on January 20, 2027. Mixing The Silence of the Lambs with Doctor Dolittle, the wildly unconventional murder mystery follows a pet psychic and a retired police dog as they sniff out a possible serial killer hiding in plain sight.
Set in 1997 Portland, PICKLE’S MOMMY IS A MURDERER! blends grisly crime, offbeat humor, and classic detective noir with an unexpectedly heartfelt exploration of grief, loneliness, and loyalty. The title marks Cho’s third collaboration with AWA and reunites her with Smith following their work together on the provocative psychological thriller CAMGIRL. This time, the creative duo trades cyberstalkers and futuristic technology for four-legged witnesses, questionable pet parenting, and a murder investigation unlike any other.
“After RED LIGHT and CAMGIRL, I wanted to explore a different kind of relationship, one built on unconditional love, even when that love might be dangerously misplaced,” said writer Sarah H. Cho. “There’s something both hilarious and heartbreaking about a tiny Chihuahua who thinks her mommy can do no wrong, even when the evidence suggests otherwise. My previous stories have explored identity, vulnerability, and the darker sides of human behavior, and this new story is no different at its core. Beneath all the absurdity and bloodshed, it’s really a story about the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we’re most loyal to.”
In PICKLE’S MOMMY IS A MURDERER!, Klarisse is the Pacific Northwest’s go-to pet psychic, helping owners understand everything from anxious corgis to picky pugs. But when a Chihuahua named Pickle starts sharing disturbing details about her beloved owner, Melanie, Klarisse suspects this seemingly ordinary dog mom has more to her than meets the eye. Could Melanie be a murderer? Maybe even a serial killer? Determined to uncover the truth, Klarisse enlists the help of Louis, a no-nonsense retired K9 police dog desperate for a new purpose. Armed with Klarisse’s ability to communicate with animals and Louis’s detective instincts (and exceptional nose), the unlikely duo sets out to solve a mystery that could prove deadly.
With PICKLE’S MOMMY IS A MURDERER!, Cho continues to build on her distinctive body of work at AWA, bringing complex characters and provocative themes to genre-bending stories. Her first title, RED LIGHT (2023), followed an A.I. sex worker whose unlikely journey toward freedom explored humanity, empathy, and female agency against a futuristic sci-fi backdrop. She followed it with CAMGIRL (2025), a bloody psychosexual thriller that examined identity, Asian fetishization, and the dangers of parasocial relationships through the story of a cam girl confronting a relentless cyberstalker. While her latest work takes a sharp turn into dark comedy, it carries forward Cho’s signature ability to find humanity in unexpected places and challenge readers through bold storytelling.
“Sarah and C.P. have crafted a thoroughly original serial killer-slash-buddy cop-slash-romantic comedy featuring the most human canines you’ve ever met,” says Axel Alonso, Chief Creative Officer of AWA. “If Clint Eastwood were a dog, he’d be Louis, the retired K9 police dog who teams up with a pet psychic and an annoying Chihuahua named Pickle – to hunt down a most unusual serial killer. You will forget they’re dogs.”
PICKLE’S MOMMY IS A MURDERER! is written by Sarah H. Cho with artwork by C.P. Smith, and lettering by Steve Wands (CAMGIRL, BATMAN). The mature-rated one-shot features a main cover by Rahzzah (THEY CHOOSE VIOLENCE, BLACK PANTHER) and a secondary cover by Keron Grant (GAYA, FANTASTIC FOUR). The thriller-comedy will be available both online and in-store wherever comics are sold on Wednesday, January 20, 2027. For more information on the title and other projects, follow AWA Studios on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, and visit AWAStudios.com.
