John Cusack debuts surreal graphic novel 'Momo' at Comic-Con
John Cusack is making his graphic novel debut with Momo, a surreal 1972 sci-fi buddy story due Sept. 29, 2026 from Mad Cave Studios. The Say Anything star teamed with artist Ignacio Noé for what he calls a "brand-buster," citing creative freedom comics offer that studio films often don't.
Key Takeaways
- John Cusack's debut graphic novel Momo arrives Sept. 29, 2026 via Mad Cave Studios, illustrated by Ignacio Noé.
- Set in 1972, the book mixes a buddy story, heist, and road trip with sci-fi twists tied to declassified-file lore.
- Cusack told Forbes the project is a "brand-buster," not a typical celebrity comics extension.
- In a rare Variety interview ahead of Comic-Con, he said he wanted to tell a story without negotiating a $20–30 million film budget.
- He is already working on a second graphic novel with Noé.
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What is John Cusack's graphic novel Momo about?
According to Forbes, Momo blends buddy-movie energy, a heist, and a road trip with a sci-fi twist, set in 1972 and styled like an indie film of that era.
Protagonists "Johnson" and "Tina Louise" (aka "Ani Mal") team up with a seedy, drug-fueled character named Doc. Their mission centers on an alien head held by Richard Nixon's government—an obsession shared, in the story, by Jackie Gleason and French artist Antonin Artaud.
Cusack told Forbes the tale is "based on a true story" drawn from "recently declassified files" he obtained. Writer Mark Leyner provides the foreword. Forbes compared the book's ambition to postmodern influences including Don DeLillo and Hunter S. Thompson, with European-style pacing aided by Noé's painterly art.
Why did John Cusack shift from starring in movies?
Promoting the book ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, the 60-year-old actor told Variety he did not want to "negotiate telling a story." Asking someone to put $20 to $30 million into a film budget, he said, means they "want to have an opinion."
"This was just like I wrote it, and I said, 'I like this story,'" Cusack explained, per E! News. He and Noé worked without editorial interference: "Nobody edited anything I wrote or that he drew… It was just me and Ignacio's story, and that doesn't happen today."
He also said graphic novels felt like "the closest things to film" because "you're picking out shots, and they're so cinematic." Cusack previously co-wrote the 2016 essay collection Things That Can and Cannot Be Said.
When does Momo come out, and what's next for Cusack?
Mad Cave Studios is publishing Momo on September 29, 2026. The book launched at Comic-Con with a panel moderated by actor and comic creator David Dastmalchian.
Cusack was cagey about future media adaptations but said he wrote with cinematic pacing inspired by early-1970s low-budget crime movies. He told Forbes he is already collaborating with Noé on a second graphic novel and hopes to keep exploring comics alongside acting and filmmaking.
"I wanted to do something like movies from a different era," he said. "And no matter what happens, if someone reads it and likes it, I count that as a success."