There's always a series that comes along and grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go. When I came across this submission, the first thing I noticed was the art; it pulls you in from the onset. But what really sold me was an amazingly grounded story. As a father, I felt every ache and pain of this character, who was brought to life in this thought-provoking, riveting story. The question I most certainly think will be at the forefront of every reader's mind is, "What lengths would a parent go to for their child?"
Today, I’m proud to introduce the newest members of the House of Wise family, Andrea Lorenzo Molinari and Roberto Xavier Molinari, a father-and-son writing team who have created an original ongoing series called The Shepherd.
Andrea Lorenzo Molinari
Roberto Xavier Molinari
About The Shepherd:
After the tragic death of his teenage son, Prof. Lawrence Miller cannot shake the sense that his son is lost, wandering between heaven and earth. Grieving, he pursues his son into the afterlife. Once on the other side, he acquires a mystical pendant of great power which he uses as a weapon to unleash his fury on those who caused his son’s death. As a result, his existence becomes a terrifying conflict between his unchecked anger and his growing realization that he has lost his way.”
“I think it's fair to say that The Shepherd began as a sort of vengeance story in the same vein as works like The Crow, or John Wick—if Mister Wick had a magic staff and didn't actually kill people. In any event, it didn't take us long to begin to abandon the theme of vengeance in favor of a more nuanced justice and the idea of a deeper restoration. At core, The Shepherd is about real healing. It draws heavily from the principles that my mother (a trauma therapist) exercises every day at work, providing people with the therapy they need in order to encourage old wounds finally to close.
The Shepherd is the same. It’s all about identifying the grave injustices in the world, and then working to set things to right, Roberto explains.
Inspiration:
The Shepherd began as a literal nightmare I experienced about seventeen years ago. I dreamed that my oldest son Roberto died of an accidental drug overdose,” Andrea recalls.
“The nightmare was particularly traumatic in that I didn’t simply dream that he died, but rather I experienced an entire series of events related to his death. For example, I remember having to identify his body in a morgue, then go through the wake and funeral, the burial, and the mourning period that lasted for months afterward.
In the nightmare, I began to hear my son calling out to me from the other side. Something bad had happened, and I understood that he was in trouble. In my grief, I decided to go after him into the afterlife in a desperate attempt to save him.
The nightmare continued as I scoured the afterlife in a fruitless search for my son. As I repeatedly failed to locate him, I became more and more determined to punish those who had taken him from me.
When I woke up, I was still shaken. I didn’t know what to think about this incredibly vivid dream. It took me several days to finally get to the point where I could talk to Roberto about what I had experienced.
When I did, my son Roberto told me that he thought my nightmare was “cool.“ I assured him that I did not share his opinion. However, not only did he think it was cool, but he was determined that we should do something with this story. In particular, he decided that we needed to write it up and make it a graphic novel.
I refused. He pestered me. Eventually, I gave in.
The result is that to date we have completed five graphic novels with a sixth completed script delivered to our artist.”
Why Wise Acre Comics?
“I first met Frederick on a podcast interview I did with Max Hoven in April 2026 (Indie Comic Empire Podcast). As Max and I interviewed Frederick and discussed his understanding of the comic book industry, I realized that we shared a lot of the same concerns and had come to many of the same conclusions as to what needed to be done. Frederick really came across as someone who had thought extensively about how we could proceed. I truly appreciated his approach to both the creative process of making comics and his strategic thinking about both the financial side of publishing and how we could best get the books out there.
He really struck me as a serious person who loved comics and wanted to create his own stories but also wanted to create a platform for others to share their work. When I read his projects and looked at other books he was publishing, it was clear that he was a creator who cared deeply about quality. I liked that a lot.
And like I said before, when we discussed his business ideas, I just felt that he was really interested in building something special. I knew that I wanted to work with him.”
What's Next?
The Shepherd will be distributed through our partnership with Universal and Critical Entertainment. Make sure to follow for more updates.
