Q&A: Writer Seth M. Sherwood Brings an Imaginary High School Crush to Deadly Life in New Graphic Novel THE BOYFRIEND

The imaginary crush of a high school outcast turns out to have an all-too-real jealous streak in The Boyfriend, the new horror graphic novel from writer Seth M. Sherwood, artist Elisa “Pocci” Pocetta, and letterer Charles Pritchett.

Ahead of the new graphic novel's February 24th release from the Nakama Press imprint of Mad Cave Studios, Daily Dead had the pleasure of catching up with Sherwood in a Q&A feature to discuss the surprising origin of The Boyfriend, writing a horror-themed twist on the universal teenage experience, and collaborating with Elisa “Pocci” Pocetta to bring The Boyfriend to deadly life in fun and frightening fashion!

Below, you can read our full Q&A with Seth M. Sherwood, and we also have the official press release with additional details as well as a look at the cover art for the new graphic novel. To learn more about The Boyfriend, be sure to visit Nakama Press!

When did the idea of an imaginary boyfriend horror story come from?

Seth M. Sherwood: The Brady Bunch. Jan Brady gets jealous of Marcia having a boyfriend, so she lies and says she has one too. "George Glass." A lot of story ideas come from looking at things I love, or just saw a lot of as a kid, and then doing some horror-themed yes/and-ing to them. So in this case it was, "What happens if Jan gets a real boyfriend? Does George get jealous, come to life, and start killing people?" Once I hit on that, I knew I had something.

Did you have an imaginary friend growing up?

Seth M. Sherwood: I did, it was a voice that asked a lot of questions. At first, I ascribed it to "Dozer Bug," a character from Richard Scarry's picture books... or maybe I am conflating that with Jiminy Cricket being Pinocchio's conscience? It was never an invisible friend I pretended was in the room or anything; it was always internal. As I got older, it didn't go away. When I first heard about schizophrenia, I thought I had it, but no one took that seriously because I was like nine. Eventually, I just realized I was the kind of person who just has a heavy internal dialogue with myself. As much as I would have loved to have had a creepy, invisible friend that scared people when I was little, I was actually just introspective.

Having worked on TV and film, why did you think this story was perfect as a graphic novel?

Seth M. Sherwood: It actually started as a film script first, but I could never quite get the pacing to feel right. It was a little too much to squeeze into a movie, but it wasn't enough to stretch out into a serialized TV series either. Doing it in print ended up being the perfect solution as I could time it out exactly as I wanted.

How did you end up teaming up with Elisa “Pocci” Pocetta, and why was Elisa the perfect partner for The Boyfriend?

Seth M. Sherwood: Kris Simon, our editor at Nakama, teamed us up. Once the pitch had been approved and we were moving forward, she gave me a stack of samples from artists she thought would be great. Elisa stood out as perfect from the start. She can do cutesy and scary at the same time, which was the vibe I wanted. Additionally, she is a master at expression. The two leads of The Boyfriend are twin sisters who have different tastes and fight constantly. They had to look the same and yet completely different, and also be crazy expressive with their teen angst. Elisa draws emotions SO well that it had it be her.

How did your creative process differ from your film and TV work when coming up with the script and working through the creative process of completing the graphic novel pages?

Seth M. Sherwood: Every medium requires a different approach but starts the same way. Story is story. Like I said above, though, when you start to think of how much space you need to tell a story, that can be a major factor. There are definitely MOVIE ideas and TV ideas that would only work in those spaces. Early work is generally me breaking the story and planning it out, and getting a feel for the characters by writing out scenes. A movie is usually a solo project; a TV show is most likely being done as a group in a writers' room. Comics is a fun balance, where I started on my own, then as pages started to get done, Kris would help me think about timing and blocking on the page. I've been a comics fan my entire life, so I had a pretty good idea, but I haven't written a ton of them, so she was pretty essential in helping me find a rhythm. Once the pages started to get to Elisa, she and I would talk a little. I wanted to make sure she had freedom to explore stuff, too. Once we had the first act down in script and rough pencils, she and I fell into sync. I didn't have to be as descriptive cause I knew she got it, and at the same time, she knew she had room to play with visuals. The rest of the book came pretty easily from there. 

What excited you about Chloe as the story's protagonist? Can you give our readers a tease of the horrors that await Chloe in The Boyfriend?

Seth M. Sherwood: Chloe is a lonely misfit. She's angsty. She's what most of us were as teenagers. Teen stories are great because most of us share the feelings of feeling like a lost outsider when we're 17. Even if you were a cool kid, deep down, you had doubts; you're experiencing so many of life's firsts in a compact space of time, your hormones. It's a universal experience most of us share. To take that, and then add horror to it, is what I love to do. Is Chloe put through the wringer cause her demonic imaginary boyfriend is out there killing people? Yes. But is it a fun little life lesson? Also yes! 

Can you share with our readers other projects you have coming up and where they can find you online?

Seth M. Sherwood: @SethMSherwood on X. That's mostly where I'm online and obnoxious. Project-wise, I've been on the writing staff for a console AAA video game for the last year, but I can't talk about it yet. Hell Fest, Leatherface, and Light as a Feather are all streaming, and if you want to buy my book on how to write horror films, you can go to https://www.scarywriter.com/

---

From the Press Release: High school crushes can be brutal, especially when the one you made up won’t stay imaginary…

Mad Cave Studios’s Nakama Press imprint sinks its teeth into THE BOYFRIEND, a high‑school horror with a manga edge from Emmy‑nominated screenwriter Seth Sherwood (The Scary Movie Writer’s Guide, Hell Fest) and rising artist Elisa “Pocci” Pocetta. Sherwood brings the same unflinching tension and razor‑sharp character work that define his film and TV projects, while Pocetta’s art layers dreamy shoujo charm over a slow‑creeping menace, making this all-new OGN as captivating as it is disturbing.

Chloe, an outcast teen relentlessly bullied by everyone, conjures up an imaginary boyfriend to boost her confidence and win the approval of her peers. To her surprise, the plan works, and she soon lands a real boyfriend, believing her life has finally turned around. But her excitement turns to terror when the imaginary lover she created comes to life, determined to eliminate anyone who stands in the way of their twisted connection.

Seth Sherwood said, “I think that there are experiences most of us have gone through. We were all teenagers, most of us dealt with all the drama and trauma those years can have—but also the high points. These are the years most people have their first loves, their first car, their first job—we hold these things close and dear. I think this is why teen stories tend to resonate with all ages, and we so frequently return to our favorites as we get older. So, obviously, that nostalgia and trauma combo makes for a perfect space to drop a horror story into. Being a teenager is a horror story as it is, so what?”

“A mysterious creature lurking in the dark is scary. But teenage years could be even scarier,” said Elisa “Pocci” Pocetta. “Many of us can deeply understand the struggles Chloe faces every day: bullying is hard, being misunderstood by our own families is hard... feeling lonely is hard. This, in particular, could push each one of us onto unexpected, unsettling paths. I am beyond honored to be able to illustrate Seth's precious story. I hope everyone feeling lonely like Chloe could find themselves a little less lonely after reading The Boyfriend (between some shivers from time to time)!”

Part teen slasher, part psychological nightmare, The Boyfriend twists the fantasy of a dream guy into something you can’t wake up from. For readers drawn to the slow burn of a schoolyard crush that curdles into obsession, it’s a pitch‑perfect blend of shoujo sweetness and slasher‑movie menace.

The Boyfriend hits shelves February 24, 2026. Preorder now, before the blood runs out!

Nakama Press celebrates timeless traditions while embracing bold innovation, building bridges between cultures, and fostering a worldwide community of creators and fans.

Get the latest news from Mad Cave Studios on social media, or visit www.madcavestudios.com to check out the full lineup of new releases, licenses, and celebrated creator-owned titles!