
Exclusive: ‘Indoor Kid’ by Mat Heagerty and Lisa DuBois-Thompson | News and Preview

Today we have the exclusive announcement of a new graphic novel, Indoor Kid, by Lumberjackula creator Mat Heagerty and artist Lisa DuBois-Thompson, to be published by Oni Press on October 28, 2025. Here’s the publisher’s description:
Air-ball Arnie couldn’t be worse at sports. As much as he wishes he could score three-pointers or hit home runs, the fact is that he’s way better at video games than he is on the court or the field. What’s worse is he lives in Muscletown, a city full of the best athletes and jocks, especially the Brohemians, the town’s star athletes AND the town’s biggest bullies. The Brohemians get to decide the winners from the losers, and they’ve decided Arnie is the biggest loser of them all. But all that changes when Arnie discovers a magical medal that gives him superhuman sports powers. Now he can slam dunk better than anyone, and he’s determined to put these super sports abilities to good use by putting the Brohemian bullies in their place. But when his newfound powers start to get him the popularity and admiration he’s always craved, will he use his powers for good or will he strike out and foul on his own friends?
Heagerty’s graphic novel Lumberjackula had a similar sort of theme – it was the story of a kid who couldn’t choose between being a lumberjack (like his mom) or a vampire (like his dad) and (spoiler alert!) opted to become a dancer instead. The dialogue and characters in that story really sparkled (hence the starred review from SLJ) and Indoor Kid looks like it will be bringing the same sort of energy to this new story.
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“Indoor Kid is a story about self-acceptance and friendship,” DuBois-Thompson said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “I think the biggest message is embracing that our unique quirks are actually our biggest strengths, and that our best friends are the people who are going to love us because of who we are, and not in spite of who we are.”
“It’s a book about how you can love something,” Heagerty added. “Like sports, and not be the best at that something, or even good at that something! And that’s perfectly fine! It’s also about the weight of not being able to live up to parents’ expectations and loudly rising above bullies!”
Check out our exclusive preview of Indoor Kid and see for yourself! (Click images to embiggen and launch gallery viewer.)








Filed under: Middle Grade, Previews

About Brigid Alverson
Brigid Alverson, the editor of the Good Comics for Kids blog, has been reading comics since she was 4. She has an MFA in printmaking and has worked as a book editor, a newspaper reporter, and assistant to the mayor of a small city. In addition to editing GC4K, she is a regular columnist for SLJ, a contributing editor at ICv2, an editor at Smash Pages, and a writer for Publishers Weekly. Brigid is married to a physicist and has two daughters. She was a judge for the 2012 Eisner Awards.
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