ISSUES
ISSUE #1, VOL. 1Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Jeff Zornow Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: October 5, 2022
 
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IT’S SUGAR, ICE AND YOU BETTA’ BE NICE!Sweetie Candy Vigilante is a honey-dipped, dark-humor infused horror/fantasy that tells the tale of Sweetie, an ethereal, beautiful, charming, well-meaning (yet unquestionably unhinged) blood relative of the mythological “candy man”…you know, the dude that takes the sunrise and sprinkles it with dew? Yeah – that guy. Dismayed by the blight and decay of her community, Sweetie is hell-bent on enacting a blood-caked, sugar-coated manifesto on society by utilizing her other-worldly powers and proprietary family secrets in her quest to make the world a “sweeter” place. She’s starting brick-by-brick in her hometown, New York City. In issue #1, on a snowy, icy night, Sweetie pays a visit to a NYC landmark sweet shop known as the Ice Cream Bunny, hoping to find its namesake at the helm. To her dismay, she finds the shop transformed from its once sugary splendor to a salty den of iniquity. The once-beloved store is now a front for a notorious crime syndicate, and they’re not very nice at all. Sweetie uses her captivating persona and unassuming confectionary weapons to tear the place, and its gang of thugs, limb from limb – as the first step to restoring its former glory. All the while enjoying a dynamic punk rendering of the Archies’ pop classic “Sugar, Sugar” on the jukebox, as heads roll – literally. This issue includes a download code for a free pop-rockin’ MP3 of “Sugar, Sugar,” performed by Osaka Popstar (as featured in the issue) so you can listen along while Sweetie kicks butt! Will Sweetie find any good eggs among the clientele of the Ice Cream Bunny? Who exactly is the Ice Cream Bunny? Who is Sweetie’s oversized Gummee hench-bear? This issue has it all: Blood, guts, and a sugar rush! It’s all going down in the debut issue of “Sweetie Candy Vigilante.” Isn’t that nice? Sweetie Candy Vigilante kicks off with an extra-sized Dynamite Debut issue to get you hungry for more! So buckle up gum-drop, and make sure you save room for dessert, because, it’s not like a little sugar is going to KILL you, RIGHT? Osaka Popstar is the pop-punk multimedia music and art project led by singer/producer John Cafiero, longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator and platinum selling film and video director. The critically acclaimed debut album “Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk” featuring frontman Cafiero with a revolving lineup of punk-rock legends as his backing band including members of the Misfits, the Ramones, Black Flag, the Voidoids, and more. Sweetie made her debut appearance on the cover of Osaka Popstar’s latest release “Ear Candy”, which has been featured on CNN and debuted at #7 on the top 10 SubModern Album chart. |
ISSUE #2, VOL. 1Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Jeff Zornow Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: November 2, 2022
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MEET CANDY WOLF, SWEETIE’S FEROCIOUS, SHAPE-SHIFTING HENCH-WOLF!A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN…IN THE MOST DE-FRIGHTFUL WAY! In the wake of Sweetie’s candy-coated carnage at the Ice Cream Bunny, a mysterious figure appears with a reckoning for its ring-pop branded survivors. Enter Candy Wolf, Sweetie’s lycanthropic wolf-at-arms. He’s a shapeshifter with a taste for licorice twists and the blood of bad eggs who warrant his violent wrath…all served in the name of sweet, sweet justice. Will their rebirth marks reveal the person beneath as naughty – or nice? Is revenge sweeter than honey? Could a sweet new life await Pixie Stix, resident dancer of the once-dive bar? Now that the Ice Cream Bunny is under the newly appointed management of an enchanted Christmas tree named Tinsel, will all be merry and bright? Exactly who and what is Sweetie, and what is her mission? Treat yourself to a heaping spoonful of sugar and watch it all go down in the most de-frightful way in SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE #2: “Run this Town.” |
ISSUE #3, VOL. 1Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Jeff Zornow Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: December 14, 2022
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NYC JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT SWEETER…
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ISSUE #4, VOL. 1Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Jeff Zornow Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: February 8, 2023
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This issue is a real Jawbreaker… Just sayin’ pa-POP! It’s all going down the hatch in Sweetie Candy Vigilante #4: Lost Cherry… It’s Pixie’s first day in the weapons room at the Candy Vigilante factory; time to get schooled in the fine art of sugar-fueled firepower! Sweetie unveils the JAWBREAKER, her signature weapon developed for ‘overly chatty’ bad eggs, and things get explosive for Mr. Uh Oh! and Mr. Oh No!-a couple of dummies with rotten DNA who aren’t having a very GOOD day. A mysterious, magical, confectionary potion called ‘Lost Cherry’ is introduced, and Candy Wolf drops sweet knowledge on Pixie about Super Naturals and Immortal beings. Meanwhile, if you think bringing a gun to an axe fight is a GOOD idea, think again. Sweetie’s immortal allies, witch-hunting duo assassins, Hansel and Gretel, come prepared. Will it be a BAD decision for Skurvy, the ‘former’ proprietor of the Ice Cream Bunny? Will the low-life crime syndicate solider remain sweet-tempered, or lose his head, and his bar, in the process? Just sayin’ pa POP! Get ready to raise a glass and kick some ass, it’s all going down the hatch in Sweetie Candy Vigilante #4: Lost Cherry. |
ISSUE #5, VOL. 1Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Jeff Zornow Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: April 5, 2023
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IMMORTAL GOODNESS BY THE BITE OF A ‘SWEET TOOTH’… ALL BAD EGGS WILL GET THEIR JUST DESSERTS! The NYPD gets a code dead and investigates the case of a headless-hoodlum, only to find a mysterious, gooey, pink substance on the body at the candy-coated crime scene. Meanwhile, Sweetie’s Candy Vigilante have successfully taken back their house and transformed the Ice Cream Bunny to its former glory. Destined to become their new flagship store, it’s soon to bring sweetness back to the city—and currently trending on social media too! Isn’t that nice? Pixie pledges herself to eternal goodness, and with a sacramental bite of Sweetie’s “sweet tooth,” joins the ranks of immortals. Debuting new threads, and a new signature weapon, the sugar rush has gifted “Sweet P” with the skill, agility, and drip of a ninja warrior. We get hard-boiled deets on the Peter Cottontail, his hopped-up sidekick Jack Rabbit’s jellybean habit, and a super-charged monster truck—fueled by ice cream. Plus, delve deeper into Sweetie’s mission statement, and the reveal of a speakeasy for the council of immortals. On the salty side, Sweetie’s sworn enemy Bart Volgare and his evil crime syndicate K.Y.E. may think they’ve destroyed the sweetness, but in time, Sweetie and her Candy Vigilante will see to it that all rotten eggs get their JUST DESSERTS! |
ISSUE #6, VOL. 1Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Jeff Zornow Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: June 21, 2023
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THE SWEETER THE CHERRY, THE JUICIER THE BOMBZ! HELLO DADDY, HELLO MOM… SWEETIE’S A GUMM BALLER — Goodie gumdrops! It’s the grand opening of the new Sweetie Candy Vigilante sweet shop, fully transformed, with obsessed customers lined-up to be the first to sample the ‘sweet’ new life and meet the CANDY VIGILANTE squad. The adoring crowd, decked out in official Candy Vigilante merch, have come to check out the goods, and hang on to Sweetie’s every word. She is the OG Gumm Baller! Candy Wolf and Pixie serve-up selfies and autographs for candy-crazed fans; their verified presence on social media has made them instant rock stars. At 1.5 million followers and rapidly growing, Gummee Bear’s online marketing skills bring it like bees to honey—reaching a sweet new global audience with limited edition confectionary drops. Meanwhile, Tinsel has decked the halls of the NYC flagship location to max potential—and it’s time to get LIT! NYPD forensics conclude the mysterious goo found on the wounds of the headless hoodlum have chemistry consistent with some seriously KILLER cherry juice, and when the homicide division pays a routine visit to the decedent’s last known business address, they find the newly opened sweet shop in its place. Taken aback by Sweetie’s enchanting presence and unusual, yet charming demeanor, the cops are dealt a cold case of brain freeze, and the start of a major showdown soon follows. This issue goes off like Cherry Bombz … fizzy bang boom!! Life is SWEET… don’t be salty—get issue #6 of Sweetie Candy Vigilante! |
ISSUE #1, VOL. 2Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Thiago Vale Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: February 14, 2024
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SWEETIE & HER CANDY VIGILANTE ARE BACK… IT’S A SUGARTOWN SHOWDOWN! Riding in hot on the heels of a cliffhanger ending—the eagerly anticipated return of Blood! Guts! and a Sugar Rush is here! Sweetie and her Candy Vigilante squad are back to kick off Volume Two of the SWEET new series with an epic “Sugartown Showdown!” Together with her shape shifting, licorice-loving lycanthrope Candy Wolf and newly “minted” ninjette warrior Pixie Stix, Sweetie faces off against her “salty” arch-nemesis Bart Volgare and his gang of thugs in the icy, snowy streets of New York City with a violently delicious fury. So, you have chosen salt? So be it! Blood is spilled and lives are changed (including many ended) as an army of fabled supernaturals and sugar-fueled allies hop into action to scramble bad eggs. Candy Wolf shows the crime syndicate soldiers what big teeth he has, while Pixie gives her newly gifted nunchucks a maiden battlefield test-spin, reducing criminal weaponry to molten scrap metal! Sweetie’s signature Jawbreaker gun also resurfaces, armed with delicious new ammo (can’t you just smell the gingerbread?), but not before she unleashes some brand new, sweetly-sinister confections that wash away the naughty and leave a wicked smile on your face—literally! Isn’t that NICE? What does Bart have to say for himself about the disappearance of Sweetie’s parents? Will a certain super-charged monster truck fueled by ice cream make the scene? When the candy-coated carnage ends, will the bodies be bagged before NYC’s Department of sanitation barrels down the block to do their rounds? Pick up Sweetie Candy Vigilante Vol. 2 #1 and find out, gumdrop! This debut issue also includes a FREE MP3 download of the song “Hatchy Milatchy,” a new, never before released track by Misfits Records’ power pop-punk rock band Osaka Popstar recorded specifically for this series! Start the new year with a resolution to make your life SWEETER! |
ISSUE #2, VOL. 2Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Thiago Vale Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: April 10, 2024
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STAND AND DELIVER…YOUR HONEY OR YOUR LIFE! In the wake of the hostile “Sugartown Showdown” street battle, Sweetie and her “swirly pop” formation entourage (Candy Wolf, Pixie Stix, Hansel, Gretel, and the rest of the supernaturals) regroup victorious at the Candy Vigilante factory headquarters in Brooklyn. After getting iced by magic snowball flex and witnessing the grisly fatalities caused by exploding Easter egg grenades, jellybean munitions, and gingerbread jawbreakers, Bart Volgare and his thugs (at least what’s left of them) know one thing is certain: the band is back together! Rumor has it SUV barely survived the weird trauma, so you might say he has something to smile about — permanently. Sweetie’s arch-nemesis Bart may think he got away, but you don’t really believe she would just let him scurry off like that, do you? Peter Cottontail and Jack Rabbit lament that they didn’t get to take the shot and egg-stinguish him in the name of SWEET revenge when they had the chance, but Sweetie makes it crystal clear she wants Bart alive — at least for now. He knows… something. Plus the bad wolf tower is pinging, and someone’s house is about to be blown down. Meanwhile, the squad is introduced to Honey B, Sweetie’s youthful beekeeper, who brings stinging news straight from the hive. Someone has been killing Sweetie’s prize bees by chopping off their fuzzy little heads! Could it have anything to do with Sweetie’s latest weapon? The frosted whipped-cream confection called “SweetStuff” is derived from the sweetest, purest, grade-A honey, and for those who are pure of heart, it’s one of the most delectable concoctions you’ll ever taste. To the inherently bad, however, SweetStuff doesn’t taste very SWEET at all — in fact, it melts away your… everything! It liquefies matter into a frosty, glittery goo, right down to the bone! Isn’t that NICE? Featuring covers by Dean Yeagle, Joe Chiodo, Jeff Zornow, Yonami, Ned Ivory & Josh Howard, the issue also includes FREE MP3 download of “The Land of Hatchy Milatchy,” the new single by OSAKA POPSTAR recorded specifically for this series! |
ISSUE #3, VOL. 2Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Thiago Vale Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: June 26, 2024
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THIS IS FINE… AND DANDY AS CANDY! Is Pixie questioning a life of candy carnage? Are things all GOOD with Sweetie’s resident ninjette? Is she acting BAD in the name of GOOD? What’s really on her mind as she gazes into the halo of the Strawberry Ice Moon deep in thought? Moon-light on that and more will be shed… Sweetie calls a company SWEET MEET to update Candy Wolf, Pixie, Hansel and Gretel, Peter Cottontail, Jack Rabbit, and Honey B., (with Gummee Bear and Tinsel joining on video conference), about the GOOD news that business is growing faster than imagined, and plans for the “Fortress of Sweetness” are nearing completion. That’s just Hatchy Milatchy! Soon, the entire world will know the name Sweetie Candy Vigilante! Also on the agenda, and topping Sweetie’s NAUGHTY LIST, is salty nemesis Bart Volgare. Still reeling from the “Sugartown Showdown,” he confides to his girlfriend that Sweetie’s “fairy tale wash-ups” (as he calls them) wiped out his entire A-Team, leaving him and his now disfigured henchman SUV as the sole survivors. SUV is literally speechless and scarred with a twisted grin on his face, unable to mutter a single word. He’s seen some sh*t! Turns out Bart’s main squeeze is a high-profile member of the news media, and he’s got a scheme to expose Sweetie on live TV for being more than what she may appear to be on her sugary surface. Tales of bullet eating ice crystal skulls made from magical snow, exploding jellybeans and grenade easter eggs leave his sanity, or at least his sobriety, in question. The NYPD learns two mysterious uninhabited islands, long since considered abandoned and dangerous, and within eyeshot of NYC’s notorious jail, “Rikers Island,” have recently been purchased from the city by a “private buyer.” Well, well—isn’t that NICE!? Featuring covers by Ivan Tao, Chad J. Keith, Josh Howard, Thiago Vale and Yonami —PLUS— FREE MP3 download of the song “The Land of Hatchy Milatchy,” the new single by OSAKA POPSTAR recorded specifically for this series. DON’T MISS IT! |
ISSUE #4, VOL. 2Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Thiago Vale Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: September 4, 2024
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NEW YORK, NY…. THE CITY THAT ALWAYS SWEETS! New Yorkers have quickly become “believers” as hordes of SWEETIE’S fans adoringly line up outside the wildly popular lower east side “SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE” sweet shop, anxiously waiting to savor the latest delectable SWEET TREAT drop. “DREC ACTION! NEWS,” the namesake news network of a corporate media conglomerate owned and controlled by the corrupt mayor of NYC crashes the party and quickly gets schooled that it’s impolite to show up without an invite! It’s clear to Candy Wolf, Pixie and Tinsel that the news crew’s objective is to stage an ambush interview with SWEETIE, the Candy Vigilante squad, and their newly minted fans, with the intent of maligning Sweetie and her business on nationally syndicated TV. At the helm is the mayor’s self-centered, saccharine-laced daughter turned news anchor, Athena Dreck. Acting under direct orders from her love interest, (and Sweetie’s arch-nemesis)—the dour, perpetual schemer, crime lord Bart Volgare—Athena arrives at the shop with camera crew in tow to portray the uplifting sweets as “unhealthy” and “addictive.” Unfazed, our GOOD-natured Sweetie lets the “jelly roll” and flips Athena’s script. Awe-struck and caught in Sweetie’s hypnotic gaze, does Athena believe in her magic? Will she “bite” on Sweetie’s challenge to sample her latest treats while on LIVE TV, inevitably revealing to her viewers if she’s a good witch or a bad witch…? Will the Mayor and Bart feel the sweet heat of the people? Is Bart’s obsession with Sweetie unjustified? Is her mission to bring the sweetness back to the city a clear and present danger to Volgare’s unsavory power and greed? Much to the displeasure of the salty lords of corruption, something within Sweetie’s delicacies is having an incredibly GOOD impact on the population of NYC, and in the process, she’s becoming more powerful. Does Sweetie have a kryptonite—and is Bart on the trail of it? Featuring covers by Jeff Zornow, Chrissie Zullo, Yonami, John John Jesse and Josh Howard—PLUS— FREE MP3 download of the song “The Land of Hatchy Milatchy,” the new single by OSAKA POPSTAR recorded specifically for this series! |
ISSUE #5, VOL. 2Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Thiago Vale Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: October 30, 2024
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THE “FORTRESS OF SWEETNESS” IS FULLY OPERATIONAL — WITH NEW “SWEETISH” PIRANHA FISH INSIDE! Sweetie and the entire Candy Vigilante Squad (Candy Wolf, Pixie, Gummee Bear, Tinsel, Hansel and Gretel, Peter Cottontail, Jack Rabbit, and Honey B.) have settled into the fully operational “Fortress of Sweetness.” Located on the Twin Islands in New York’s East River, these sweet new digs are decked to the nines with candy-coated drip and equipped with a Sweetie Candy Vigilante-themed pinball machine that is all-in Hatchy Milatchy Multiball! The team gets a house call from ally Dr. Faerie Wilder, a.k.a. THE Tooth Fairy herself, revealing her integral role in the science and magic of Sweetie’s defense weapons development and the relevance of Sweetie’s “trinkets,” (human teeth excised from those born bad to the bone and inherently evil) — all thanks to her cover/day job as a highly-skilled dentist. And speaking of bad to the bone, there is a truly evil darkness in NYC, and within that darkness is Genio “Bug” Vespa. The crime syndicate thug and self-made vermin whisperer pays a visit to Sweetie’s new island compound under orders from Bart Volgare. Seeing what a busy little bee she’s been, “Bug” poses as an extermination subcontractor dispatched by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection to investigate a potential contamination on the islands. Will the sweet squad tell him to buzz off — or let him in to see what their new “pestie” is all about? No need to get antsy, though, it’s all goodie gumdrops… Sweetie’s locked and loaded, and there’s no stoppin’ her Jawbreaker from poppin’! Even the Queen Bee Esmeralda bows to Sweetie with love and adoration, and is ready to do battle until the salty feel her sting! All this awaits, among other surprises — including the breaking news that the waters surrounding the “Fortress of Sweetness” are now populated with Sweetie’s latest creation… Sweetish Piranha Fish! Isn’t that NICE? Featuring covers by Stephen Sistilli, Jeff Zornow and Yonami—PLUS— FREE MP3 download of the song “THE LAND OF HATCHY MILATCHY,” the new single by OSAKA POPSTAR recorded specifically for this series! |
ISSUE #6, VOL. 2Written by Suzanne Cafiero Art by Thiago Vale Produced by John Cafiero Release Date: December 18, 2024
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SLAY BELLS RING… ARE YOU LISTENING? You Betta’ watch out! You Betta’ not cry! Betta’ save the date! Why?… SWEETIE is hosting an exclusive INVITE-ONLY CHRISTMAS PARTY! Let the North Star guide you to her newly pepper-minted “Fortress of Sweetness” headquarters on the twin Sweetie Candy Vigilante Islands to join Pixie Stix, Candy Wolf, Gummee Bear, Tinsel, and the rest of the sweet squad for the festivities. The guest list is a mind-blowing who’s-who from the world of the immortals, including THE GREAT PUMPKIN (who rises out of the pumpkin patch each All Hallows Eve), Candy Wolf’s EX—yep, you guessed it, “Little Red” herself—and even all nine of Santa’s star reindeer! Jingle, Jingle, Jingle! SLAY BELLS will ring, and because you’ve all been EXTRA-GOOD this year, as promised and hinted at throughout the series, CANDY WOLF will finally spill the SWEET tea on the backstory between SWEETIE and the North Pole’s Boss “Nic,” famously known as SANTA! Is he as “saintly” as he’s been fabled? Was Sweetie once chosen to join the ranks of team North Pole? Did she take issue with Nic’s buddy Krampus? And what was that odd little Elf Santa had gifted to Sweetie really up to while sitting on her shelf all day? Knock back the eggnog with Peter Cottontail and Jack Rabbit (who’ve already had one too many) and pull up a cozy chair alongside the yule log fire for the bitter—SWEET Christmas story in this special holiday-themed issue closing out Volume 2 of Sweetie Candy Vigilante! PLUS… universes collide as Mystery Men creator and Eisner Award-winning indie comics icon BOB BURDEN’s cult-classic antihero FLAMING CARROT makes a SPECIAL APPEARANCE in the first Flaming Carrot crossover since his team-up with the world-famous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles three decades ago! Featuring covers by John Royle, Bob Burden, Jeff Zornow, Yonami, Ned Ivory and Josh Howard PLUS FREE MP3 download of “THE LAND OF HATCHY MILATCHY,” the new single by OSAKA POPSTAR recorded specifically for this series! SNITCHES GET STITCHES, AND NOTHING SAYS “HOLIDAY” MORE THAN THE SMELL OF ELF ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE… |
