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    GVN Talking Comics Exclusive Page Reveal: Oni Press ‘The Pancake Trap’

    Illustrated cover showing three animated characters and a dog fleeing from flying pancakes, with the title "The Pancake Trap" in bold yellow letters.

    Oni Press is serving up something warm, wild, and wonderfully heartfelt with our exclusive first look at Stephanie Young and Allyson Lassiter’s The Pancake Trap—a middle‑grade graphic novel stacked high with foodie chaos, sisterly mischief, and the kind of emotional sweetness that sticks with you long after the last page. Young and Lassiter, the team behind Star Beasts, bring their signature blend of expressive cartooning and big‑hearted humor to this fun story. A saga where drone bots run wild, batter flies, tempers flare, and two sisters discover that love—messy, sticky, stubborn love—is always thicker than whatever’s on the griddle.

    Illustrated book cover titled "The Pancake Trap," showing three characters, a dog, and flying pancakes. The authors' names, Lassiter and Young, appear at the bottom.

    Get Ready to Flip for the Tasty, Treasure-Hunting Middle-Grade Graphic Novel THE PANCAKE TRAP!

    Coming Hot off the Griddle June 9th 2026 from Star Beasts Creators Stephanie Young and Allyson Lassiter

    PORTLAND, OR (October 14, 2025)– Oni Press, the multiple Eisner- and Harvey Award–winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is excited to announce a new adventure from creative duo Stephanie Young and Allyson Lassiter (Star Beasts) in The Pancake Trap, a middle-grade graphic novel stacked full of foodie hijinks as two sisters learn that love is thicker than batter.

    This June, meet Maple and Margaret Sanford, two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Ten-year-old Maple is a pancake-obsessed griddle cook determined to save their grandma’s failing restaurant, Dot’s Diner. Margaret is a college-bound beauty queen who can’t wait for their mom to sell the run-down restaurant. On the last day before Dot’s Diner will be sold to the town’s multimillionaire mogul, the girls are thrown into a dangerous food-themed treasure hunt, looking for gold left by runaway outlaw Crispy Cruller. Joined by a trusty friend, a helpful robot drone, and an adorable pup, Maple and Margaret will dive deep into the twisted caves and caverns underneath their town facing one syrup-sticky flapjack trap after another. With nothing more than their grandma’s cookbook clues to guide them, will the Sanford Sisters be able to put their differences aside, find the loot, and save Dot’s Diner before it’s too late?

    Writer Stephanie Young

    “I cooked up the idea for The Pancake Trap based on my obsession with pancakes, my love of adventure movies, and a fight I had with my sister. Luckily, the fight is long forgotten, but my passions for pancakes and treasure hunts are still going strong.”

    Illustrator Allyson Lassiter

    “The Pancake Trap is just the type of story I love. It has adventure, heart, and novelty-sized danger. I am so happy that I got the chance to help bring Steph’s book to life for today’s kids to read late at night under their bedsheets with a flashlight, the way I enjoyed all my favorite books and comics as a kid.”

    Oni Press Senior Editor Grace Scheipeter

    “The Pancake Trap is full of humor, heart, and hijinks. It’s the perfect fit for kids who devour food-related graphic novels like Dracula’s Brunch Club, Super Boba Cafe, and Sugar Shack. Readers will love each twist and turn through the cave-diving treasure hunt and the sweet treats along the way with kid-friendly illustrated pancake recipes included after every chapter.”

    Bring your appetite for adventure, sisterly bonds, and diner darlings when The Pancake Trap releases June 9, 2026!

    Thanks to Oni Press and the creative team of Stephanie Young and Allyson Lassiter, we reveal these early pages that show exactly why this book is poised to hit that perfect middle‑grade sweet spot. Filled with bold visual comedy, warm family dynamics, and a story that knows growing up is never as simple as following a recipe. It’s bright, it’s chaotic, it’s tender, and it’s unmistakably Oni.

    A comic-style illustration shows various dronebots, people discussing a parade, Dot's Diner, and a booth selling T-shirts and a trophy, with dialogue about dronebots and the parade. A mother and daughter talk in a diner kitchen; the mother wipes a drone, and a plate of pancakes is shown. The daughter hugs her mother as they discuss their worries. A girl with a "FREE THE BOTS" sign and "SHIELDS SUCKS!" jacket shouts on a street; another girl narrates and talks to a friend named Oz in a nearby panel. A comic page shows a dog breaking eggs by a table, then running through a busy café as a girl chases after him, while other people dine and work inside. A girl in 3D glasses holds a "FREE THE BOTS" sign while robot arms serve breakfast; speech bubbles comment on drones being forced to work. Cartoon showing a lively debate at a town event about Sweetie Cakes, with people arguing and a man clarifying that they are not "sweaty cakes" but a popular local dessert. Comic page showing a conversation about prototype dronebots dripped in syrup, ending with a woman instructing Mr. Shields to make a no-carb bacon egg scrambler for children. A busy diner with customers eating at tables; a woman talks to a man in the foreground while a child and a dog walk by. Text reads: “Mom’s selling the diner to help us...”.

    The Pancake Trap is exactly the kind of middle‑grade magic Oni Press does best—funny, heartfelt, a little chaotic, and powered by characters who feel instantly real. These exclusive pages make it clear that Stephanie Young and Allyson Lassiter aren’t just delivering foodie hijinks; they’re serving up a story about sisterhood, stubbornness, and the kind of love that sticks even when everything else gets messy. Big thanks to Oni Press for letting us share this first taste. Keep this one on your radar—it’s warm, it’s wild, and it’s got all the ingredients to become a new favorite.

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