A Brand-New Chapter of 'Adventure Time' Is About to Begin [Exclusive]

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The characters of Adventure Time gathered together happily

Published Feb 6, 2026, 10:01 AM EST

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

2026 will officially mark eight years since Jake the Dog (John DiMaggio) and Finn the Human (Jeremy Shada) went on their final adventure in the original Adventure Time. Though HBO Max would briefly air the spin-off series, Adventure Time: Distant Lands in 2020, providing a deeper exploration of the land of Ooo and giving the two best friends the closure they deserved, the surreal, magical series created by Pendleton Ward that started it all ended in 2018 with an emotional goodbye. Yet, while "Come Along with Me" was the finale, the adventure was never truly over, with the spin-off, Fionna and Cake, picking up the story in another reality with two seasons so far. For those who want more fun with the original dynamic duo, however, a new chapter in their story is coming soon.

In 2025, Oni Press launched a new run of Adventure Time comics, penned by Nick Winn with help from a rotating team of talented illustrators. The series is currently ongoing, taking Finn and Jake on a new journey in search of a fabled guide for heroes that ultimately pits them against some of their greatest foes and tests their friendship. Now, Collider can exclusively reveal five new covers for the first issue of the upcoming fourth arc from the comics, "Test of Heroes." These creative, surreal, and vastly different looks for issue #13 all set up the arrival of the Martian villain, Magic Man. The arc begins with him using Finn's robotic doppelgänger to help steal all the treasured artifacts of Ooo to impress Betty Grof, the Ice King's former fiancée turned wizard, who's now living on Mars. However, Magic Man's jealousy overcomes him after a little family reunion with Betty, Simon, and Marceline, and he accidentally brings about the apocalypse.

The first cover, created by Winn himself, teases how the story will revolve around Betty with the magician appearing giant while Jake, Finn, Magic Man, and more climb around her hat. For every one in twenty issues, a black-and-white sketch version of the art will appear on the comic instead as a rare collectible. Meanwhile, cover B and the one-in-ten cover D, by John P. Golden and Ren Lindroos, respectively, highlight the danger of Magic Man, as the former adopts a more terrifying aesthetic to demonstrate the chaos he may bring, while the latter adopts an old fairytale look of him casting magic over Jake and Finn. Last but not least is a flat Magic Man Yellow cover that, again, highlights the villain. All of this sets the stage for the titular "Test of Heroes" in the backdrop of the apocalypse. It'll be up to Jake, Finn, Marceline, Princess Bubblegum, and more concerned citizens to save their home from certain doom.

When Does the Next 'Adventure Time' Comic Arc Begin?

Golden, who previously illustrated the Over the Garden Wall comic, Circus Friends, also illustrated issue #13 in the Adventure Time series. He makes for a perfect partner for Winn, who has also worked in the art and animation departments of Craig of the Creek, StuGo, and more. With the multi-time Eisner and Harvey Award-winning Oni Press and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products backing the publication, it hopes to be another faithful addition to the wacky yet heartfelt Cartoon Network staple's canon that also ups the stakes for its heroes. In an official statement, Winn teased how the arc will bring readers to familiar locales and beyond in an "intense journey" made to show that Adventure Time still has a lot of stories to tell on the page.

“Issues 1-12 have led up to the first big test in Finn and Jake’s heroics. The Lich and GOLB were just the beginning (and maybe the end???), but these guys have a lot more to clean up now. These issues will take the reader down to the Nightosphere, around the Candy Kingdom, and in and out of Ice King’s mind. I’m excited for y’all to enjoy this wacky and intense journey with us!"

The Adventure Time comics begin "The Test of Heroes" with issue #13 on May 20. Check out the new covers above and keep an eye out for the new installment on comic stands everywhere.