Bill Willingham Returns To Epic Fantasy With The Outrider Trilogy

IOWA PARK, Texas - Rezul -- Bill Willingham — writer, artist, and creator of the Eisner Award–winning Fables — is stepping into prose epic fantasy with his Outrider trilogy, a new series of three novels to be published by Raconteur Press beginning in January of 2027.

The first novel, The Giant, the Witch, and the Warlord, will be published by Raconteur Press in January 2027. This will be followed by The Sorcerer and The King of the West later in the year. All three manuscripts are complete and in production. Readers will not have to wonder when the series will be finished — it's already done!

The Outrider series is epic fantasy in the classic tradition of sword and sorcery. The story features morally complex characters, heroes who behave heroically, and centers on an oath kept at any cost. It is Willingham's first extended prose sword and sorcery work, and a deliberate return to the genre he loved before he ever worked in comics.

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"Sword and sorcery is where my love of reading started," said Willingham. "Leiber, Howard, Vance, Zelazny, and always Edgar Rice Burroughs -- those were the writers who made me want to tell stories. The Outrider trilogy is my attempt to honor that tradition and add my humble contribution to it."

Willingham chose to publish the Outrider trilogy with Raconteur Press, the Texas-based independent publisher known for its author-friendly contracts and pulp-proud editorial philosophy. Raconteur publishes samples of its author contracts publicly — an unusual practice that Willingham cited as a factor in his decision.

"We publish books that trust the reader to keep up," said Ian McMurtrie, founder of Raconteur Press. "Bill Willingham has been doing exactly that for decades. We are proud to be the home for these books."

Raconteur Press has worked with more than 400 authors across its three book lines since 2022, publishing over 100 books including dozens of anthologies, story-first genre novels, and award-winning Boys' Adventure titles.

A cover reveal is planned for June 2026. Pre-orders open August 1, 2026.

Available for Media: Review copy, press kit, author bio, cover image, and interview scheduling available on request. Contact pr@raconteurpress.com.

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About Bill Willingham: Bill Willingham is a writer and artist best known as the creator of Elementals and Fables, the long-running DC/Vertigo comic series that earned fourteen Eisner Awards shared with collaborators, with Willingham personally winning Best New Series (2003), Best Serialized Story (2003), Best Short Story (2007), and Best Writer (2009). He has also received the Inkpot Award (2008) and the Adamson Award (2011), and received four Hugo Award nominations in the Graphic Story category. With the Outrider trilogy, Willingham returns to his roots of epic fantasy in the classic tradition of sword and sorcery — the genre he has always loved.

About Raconteur Press: Raconteur Press is a Texas-based independent publisher founded in 2022. The Press publishes genre fiction anthologies, story-first genre novels, and a Boys' Adventure line, with all books unapologetically designed to entertain. Raconteur operates on a philosophy of radical transparency, publishing sample contracts publicly and sharing its operational playbook openly with the indie publishing community. More at raconteurpress.com.