Earlier this year, a graphic novel adaptation of the hugely popular Dungeons and Dragons-inspired podcast The Adventure Zone hit the shelves, and quickly emerged as a surprise breakout in publishing, becoming a No. 1 New York Times best seller right out of the gate. It should come as good news to fans that a sequel is already on the way: The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited!

Where the first Adventure Zone book — written by podcast cocreators (and brothers) Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy along with their father Clint McElroy, and published by First Second — covered the beginnings of the “Balance Arc” of its source material, the sequel will continue to adapt the beloved adventures for the page. The authors return alongside illustrator and co-adaptor Carey Pietsch for Murder on the Rockport Limited, which follows hero-adjacent sort-of-comrades-in-arms Taako, Magnus, and Merle on a wild careen through a D&D railroad murder mystery. We can tease that the sequel will also feature a genius child detective, an ax-wielding professional wrestler, a surly wizard, cursed magical artifacts, and a pair of meat monsters.

The Adventure Zone podcast has been downloaded more than 125 million times and has been running since 2014. With the books finding a big audience of their own, EW is excited to offer an exclusive preview of Murder on the Rockport Limited, with eight interiors to debut. Read on below, and see the cover at the top of this post. The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! publishes July 16, 2019, and is available for pre-order.

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Image zoom Macmillan Children's Publishing Group