State of the Bug Q4 2025
We're fully loaded!
Hey, everyone! Mike Tener (CEO) here and…whew! It’s time for a long-overdue update on all things Bad Bug!
Since my last “State of the Bug” update, we’ve been busier than ever—fulfilling orders, planning new projects, and somehow managing to expand (I’ll explain that in a bit). It’s been a wild ride, and we’ve got a lot to share, so I’ll dive right in!
BAD BUG MIDNIGHT WEBSITE
We’ve officially moved all our Bad Bug Midnight products to www.badbugmidnight.com! This is now the one-stop shop for all digital and physical Bad Bug Midnight titles. To celebrate, we’re running a 25% off sale all month long on everything—yes, everything! Plus, we’re throwing in a fire sale on AstroWitch and Lady of the Black Fan to sweeten the deal. Click the link or image below to start shopping!
DECEMBER EXCLUSIVES
Collectors, don’t miss this! Inspired by NetEase’s Marvel Rivals, we’re launching the Bad Bug Renegades series with three stunning variant covers by Chaz, featuring some of our most popular leading ladies in swimwear: Maggie Dean from Dead End Moon, Evelyn Roseblood from Roseblood Manor, and Vanya from Vanya: The Lost Warrior. All covers are featured reprints of the first issues of their respective series.
These extremely limited sets—available in standard, holofoil, and metal editions—are individually numbered for ultimate exclusivity. Pre-orders close in December for a January ship-out, with new releases coming in February, March, and April. Secure yours before they’re gone!
EVERGREEN SERIES
When we launched Bad Bug Midnight, we planned for all our series to be limited so we could keep exploring new ideas. But some stories and characters have taken on a life of their own, and we’ve realized they deserve more room to grow.
So, we’re thrilled to announce our first three evergreen series—titles we’ll continue to build for the long term:
Bobby Jo
Vanya: The Lost Warrior
Roseblood Manor
We may have one or two more to announce down the line, but for now, we’re focusing on making these three sustainable for the long haul. And we couldn’t do it without you—your interest in these stories is what makes this possible. Thank you for being part of our growth!
DISCORD SERVER
If you haven’t already, cartwheel into our Discord server (age verification required) to chat with us directly! Sure, we’ve got email, social media, and Kickstarter, but honestly, Discord has become the best way to connect. We’re always hanging out there, sharing sneak peeks and previews before anywhere else, and answering any questions you’ve got. We don’t bite! We love talking with people.
BEYOND COMICS
The response to the Death Nell statue blew us away! Hearing how much you loved the design and quality has inspired us to keep going. Next up: Vanya! Pre-orders for her statue will likely go live in February, so keep an eye out. Here’s a work-in-progress shot below.
We’re also working on a trading card game and a premium collector card series featuring masterpiece-level cover art from our back catalog. We’re super excited about these projects and can’t wait to show you more once we have some flashy previews to share.
And for our cosplay fans, we’re continuing to strengthen partnerships with cosplayers and models. Expect artbooks and calendars (both physical and digital) to spin out from these collaborations soon!
FULFILLMENT
Bringing fulfillment in-house has been quite the adventure! We’re learning as we go—figuring out our limits with space, time, and staffing—and making changes to set ourselves up for the long haul. At one point, we were prepping and packaging six projects at once! Talk about a stress test for the team.
To help streamline things, we’ve started combining orders for backers who’ve supported multiple campaigns. If you get a package with rewards from two or more campaigns, shoot an email to shaynarose@badbugmedia.com, and we’ll send you a coupon (ranges from $8 to $30 - amount is based on how many projects were combined and what the total shipping fees were) to use on our new website! This is a temporary solution to help us manage a tricky period where several projects wrapped up all at once.
And don’t forget—you can always track our progress on every campaign using our fulfillment tracker. Thanks for sticking with us as we grow and improve!
LOYALTY PROGRAM
We’ve been brainstorming ways to reward our long-term physical AND digital supporters—like you!—without requiring you to do anything extra. Stay tuned for more details soon, and feel free to share any last-minute ideas for rewards you’d love to see.
THINNING YET GROWING
As we’ve grown, we’ve realized the importance of maintaining creative control over our properties, fulfillment, and funds. To that end, we’ve established an “inner circle” of core creators who are fully invested in building the Bad Bug brand.
Meanwhile, our “outer circle” includes more traditional publishing relationships, like Sex Spells and Curse of the Gorgon (which we’ve returned to their creators) and Fangers (which we’re continuing to co-produce). For now, we’re focusing on strengthening our “inner circle” and aren’t actively accepting new submissions. But fret not, hopeful future collaborators, that’s just for now, not forever.
WHY AREN’T WE IN SHOPS?
We get this question a lot! The short answer: control. We love having full control over our business and avoiding complications that could impact our readers or shops that would carry our product.
That said, we’re keeping a close watch on how new distributors are stepping in to fill the gap left by Diamond’s scramble for stability (fun fact: we were this close to finalizing a deal with them… and then, well, you know). While we’re not in shops just yet, we’re definitely open to the idea—when the right partner comes along. For now, staying independent and direct-to-consumer has been working great for us!
WHEN WILL WE SEE YOU AT CONS?
We love conventions and are planning to attend 2-3 in the fall of next year. We’ll be selective about which ones we go to, focusing on events that showcase independent publishers like us. When we do show up, we promise to make a big event out of it.
That’s where we’re at for now! Thanks for sticking with us through all the updates. Here’s a quick snapshot of what to expect from us through January—stay tuned for more exciting news!
Bugs and kiss,
Mike and the Bad Bug crew
Is there a link for the exclusives?