Bestselling The Atlas Trilogy's author Olivie Blake is back with a new graphic novel

4 hours ago 1

Published Mar 23, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

The New York Times bestseller and artist Little Chmura kick off a dark romantic thriller

A closeup of a woman's eyes shows her looking at a couple in art from Clara and the Devil

New York Times bestselling fantasy writer Olivie Blake has been collaborating with artist Little Chmura for more than a decade on AO3, Tumblr, Webtoon, and in the illustrations for Blake’s The Atlas Trilogy. Now they’re releasing their first graphic novel, Clara & the Devil, which follows a college student flirting with Satan himself.

“For the last 10 years, I've been having the time of my life with one of my closest and most talented friends, all for the sake of pushing the boundaries of what we were capable of individually; to see, with each new passion project, how much weirder and deeper the storytelling could become when we put our combined powers to the test,” Blake told Polygon in an email statement. “No one else has ever interpreted the inside of my mind so richly and imaginatively, and I am honored, flabbergasted, etc. for everyone to experience this story the way it first struck my fancy: a Faustian tale that is surreal, sensual, and unironically hot as hell."

A woman surrounded by hands and flowers smiles seductively on the cover of Clara & the Devil

Little Chmura told Polygon that she deliberately filled Clara & the Devil with imperfect lines and smudged colors to give it a hand-drawn quality that would stand out amidst comics using more highly-polished images.

“Olivie wrote this story in such an unexpected way,” she said in a statement. “Even though it's filled with supernatural elements, it's actually grounded in the reality of everyday life and explores one's dreams, fears and desires. It can be that deep if you want to. Or it can be just a thrilling story about a handsome devil that makes your heart race. It's very romantic and dramatic. Perfect for anyone with a former theatre kid energy. Or a punk kid who used to skip classes to read comic books.”

Ahead of the graphic novel’s release on May 5, 23rd Street Books offered Polygon an exclusive excerpt from Clara & the Devil, Volume 1.