"Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon" scribe Delilah S. Dawson will make her comic book debut this January with "Ladycastle," a new four-issue miniseries from BOOM! Studios. Alongside "Niobe: She is Life" artist Ashley A. Woods, Dawson will flip medieval fantasy tropes on their heads when the women of "Ladycastle" take charge of the castle after a botched quest leaves their men dead and places a curse on their home.

According to the official series description,

When King Mancastle and his mighty vassals ride off on crusade, the women left behind are not at all put out—that's a lot less armor polishing for them to do. Of course, when the men get themselves eaten by a dragon and leave a curse that attracts monsters to the castle...well, the women take umbrage with that.

Now the blacksmith’s wife Merinor is King, Princess Aeve is the Captain, and the only remaining (and least capable) knight Sir Riddick is tasked with teaching the ladies of the castle how to fight, defend, build, and do all manner of noisy things the men had been doing while the women assumed they were just drunk.

Novelist Delilah S. Dawson (Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon, As Wicked as She Wants, Wake of Vultures) brings her first original series to comics, and is joined by breakthrough illustrator Ashley A. Woods (Niobe: She Is Life) for a rollicking fantasy adventure featuring women reclaiming their lives on their terms.

"The idea for 'Ladycastle' came to me while watching 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,'" Dawson shared in a statement. "I overheard the famous line, 'Strange women lying in ponds, distributing swords is no basis for a system of government,' and thought, 'Well, but WHAT IF IT WAS?' I wanted to take the tropes surrounding medieval fantasy and basically flip the Round Table. The men go off on a crusade... and never come back. The princess in the tower... becomes a powerful knight. The fated king who takes the sword from the Lady of the Lake... is a commanding woman of color."

"'Ladycastle' is about ladies lifting ladies, about a castle where women of all ages, sizes, races, and abilities take control of a traditionally male-dominated world and kick butt in their own way," she continued. "Of course, the fun really started when Ashley [Woods] brought our heroines to life with her amazing designs. Once I saw the characters, they truly began to own their story and find their voices. Time to knight up!"

"'Ladycastle' is an exciting and witty Medieval fantasy story that touches on real subjects in a generally light tone," Woods added. "There's also at times some dark humor to be found in this rather colorful, almost Disney-esque/'Candyland' setting... it's an unexpected mix that Delilah's writing expresses very well."

"The characters are a particularly interesting bunch, especially the brave and grounded Merinor. I was very surprised but delighted at seeing that the current 'king' of the castle was a woman of color. I also really love seeing how the women of the castle support, protect, and build each other up even during the most dire of circumstances," she concluded.

With a main cover by Woods and an incentive cover by Elsa Charretier, "Ladycastle" #1 arrives in January 2017.

Ladycastle character designs by Ashley A. Woods
Ladycastle #1 main cover by Ashley A. Woods
Ladycastle #1 incentive cover by Elsa Chatterier