Conveniently situated to the Bermuda Triangle and some of the best campy television of the 1970s, “Spy Island” — a new Dark Horse Comics miniseries by Portland author Chelsea Cain — aims to be a premier destination for comic book readers when it launches this spring, according to a news release Friday from the publisher.

Cain said in an email that the series stems in part from her nostalgia for a time when “everyone knew that the Bermuda Triangle was the most dangerous phenomenon in the history of the world.”

Those were “the good old days when conspiracy theories involved underwater alien cities and sea monsters,” Cain said. “Every TV show I loved in the 1980s had some episode that took place in the Triangle. I miss that. I miss unexplained shipwrecks and ghost pirates. The world could use more ghost pirates right now.

“Because the great thing about ghost pirates is that they will attack anyone, any ship, regardless of flag. These were myths that didn’t discriminate. They brought us together, as humans.”

The first installment of "Spy Island" by Chelsea Cain goes on sale April 1.

According to the Milwaukie-based publisher, the new series set on a remote tropical island is a “valentine” to both Bermuda Triangle myths and television shows like “Fantasy Island,” the 1977-84 series starring Ricardo Montalbán where any wish could happen for the right price. “Spy Island’s” protagonist is a “kick-ass feminist super agent” named Nora Freud who must contend with the island’s dimensional portals, krakens, ghost pirates and other strangeness — in addition to the cruise ship that docks once a week to offload its guest stars, a la “The Love Boat.”

Cain said in an email that Freud was a hero written for her daughter.

“She's 15 now, and I wanted to write her a story about an adult woman, who could handle herself, who wasn't overcome with self-doubt,” Cain said. “I wanted to write her a hero. Someone competent, incredibly smart, and comfortable in her skin. A woman who didn't serve anyone else's narrative.

“Nora Freud is that woman.”

“Spy Island” will be Cain’s third major comic series following Marvel’s “Mockingbird” and her creator-owned work “Man-Eaters” with Image Comics. Both follow a successful prose writing career that includes several New York Times best-selling novels and works translated into 30 languages and adapted for television. Cain, however, first made news in the comics world as a result of the online sexist harassment directed toward her in the wake of the cancellation of “Mockingbird.” Her second comic “Man-Eaters,” which was nominated for comics’ showcase Eisner Award as a Best New Comic Book Series, built a dystopian world in which biological females infected with the common toxoplasma parasite become literal man-eating cats upon hitting puberty.

Cain said in the release that “Spy Island” was a natural follow-up to “Mockingbird,” a series that featured a superspy highly trained in martial arts with a doctorate in biology who operates alongside the other heroes and villains of the Marvel universe.

“Both ‘Spy Island’ and ‘Mockingbird’ are about strong female protagonists who are good at their jobs and don’t suffer fools,” Cain said.

With “Spy Island’s” 1970s’ vibe, Dark Horse will showcase an “ad” in the “Previews” comic catalog

Continuing with “Spy Island’s” 1970s’ vibe, Dark Horse will showcase an “ad” in the “Previews” comic catalog that touts the benefits of a Bermuda Triangle vacation, including “sunbathing,” “whirlpool surfing,” “kayaking,” “kid-friendly sea serpent swims,” “beach combing for bones” and more.

Most of Cain’s “Man-Eaters” collaborators will be joining her for “Spy Island,” including Portland designer and illustrator Lia Miternique, Pacific Northwest artist Elise McCall, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg and letterer Joe Caramagna.

Miternique said in an email she was thrilled to be working with the “Man-Eaters” team again.

“This story is so rich with the Bermuda Triangle setting, intriguing characters and a cool, nostalgic vibe — there is so much to explore visually,” Miternique said. “As a designer, I love being a part of imagining that world and bringing it to life.”

“Spy Island” #1, the first installment of the four-issue miniseries, goes on sale April 1.

— Will Nevin