Horror Icon Reveals Twisted Take On Classic Children's Story

John Carpenter is known for doing many things exceptionally well, and one of those things is scaring the hell out of people. What he's bringing to the world of comics, however, is not just different – it's twisted, and it involves a very well-known childhood story gone dark.

No, seriously, you've never seen Little Red Riding Hood like this before. Well, maybe once before, when Neo Edmund (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) concocted a series of graphic novels for WildFire Press in 2015, named A Tale of Red Riding, Rise of the Alpha Huntress.

Not so coincidentally, with a classic eye for identifying the next great horror story, Carpenter's Storm King Press has opted to celebrate its 50th release by adapting Edmund's aforementioned graphic novel A Tale of Red Riding, Rise of the Alpha Huntress to comic books.

• Writer: Neo Edmund
• Artist: Jan Duursema
• Length: 160 pages
• Type: Paperback
• UPC: 979-8992811643
• On sale: June 9, 2026
• Price: $24.99

Per the official synopsis: "Seventeen-year-old Red Riding has never truly belonged, raised in a dreary orphanage with no family and no future. Her path changes the night an ominous letter arrives, signed by a woman claiming to be her grandmother, urging her to return to her hometown of Wayward Woods on a matter of grave urgency. With nothing but her motorcycle and a spark of hope, Red speeds off into the unknown.

"The road is long and filled with unspeakable dangers. Her gas is running low, and just when she’s about to give up, a mysterious masked rider appears and rouses her into a perilous moonlit race."

John Carpenter's Dark Twist on Little Red Riding Hood

It continued: "His name is Wolfgang Helheim, reckless, roguish, and dangerously charming. From the moment he and Red meet, the claws come out, fueled by a mix of rivalry and attraction, setting Red’s destiny on a collision course with his own. Their race ends with a harrowing plunge through a mystical portal. Red crash lands in Wayward Woods.

"Here, magic pulses in the trees, dangerous creatures lurk in the shadows, and werewolves rule the night. She soon finds her grandmother and reconnects with forgotten friends and long-lost allies with wondrous magical abilities. Some welcome Red’s arrival. Others see her as a threat. But all can feel an irrefutable truth: a primal power is stirring within her and is clawing to get out. Red Riding is no ordinary girl.

"She’s been gifted with the power of ancient lunar spirits, that grant her dazzling werewolf superpowers. Her destiny is written in the stars and sealed by prophecy: she must rise to become The Alpha Huntress; a mythical warrior charged with protecting Wayward from a dark enchanter determined to drown the realm in eternal shadow."

There's Nothing Little About This Red Riding Hood

But wait, there's more.

The synopsis concludes: "As her claws emerge and her strength grows, Red finds herself thrust into a world of magical mayhem. She’ll battle vicious goblins, nefarious witches, and rival werewolves that seek to claim her power for their own. With Wolfgang at her side and a ragtag squad of magical misfits behind her, Red Riding will learn to embrace her destiny, and ultimately rise to become a hero of legend."

Yeah, that is plenty to attempt to digest, and especially as it pertains to a childhood tale that ends very differently in most variations of it. As it is often told, she and her grandmother are both consumed by the wolf after he tricks Red during her innocent delivery of good eats — herself becoming the good eats. Carpenter and Edmund have other plans though, and that includes Red morphing into the wolf herself (albeit a werewolf) and one with benevolent intent.

But, and this especially goes for those who run afoul of her, don't for one second think this version of Little Red Riding Hood is only equipped with a picnic basket. She's equipped with everything she needs to put anybody into an early grave this summer.