Before returning for Avengers: Doomsday later this year, MCU star Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) will first make her debut foray into indie comics with new series Chachu.
Iman Vellani was a relatively unknown actress before she made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Ms. Marvel in 2022. She later returned for a big screen foray in The Marvels. And later this year, she’s expected to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, one of the most anticipated pictures of 2026.
But before Vellani (almost certainly) returns for the MCU’s requisite Doomsday flick, she is first making her debut foray into indie comics with new, neo-noir, private investigator series Chachu, coming to Image Comics in August. The 5-issue limited series is written by Vellani, illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi (Exquisite Corpses, Self Help) and colored by Jordie Bellaire (Absolute Wonder Woman, Redlands).
Chachu marks Vellani’s indie comics debut and the first comic and the first she’s been the lead writer on. Her previous comic book credits include Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant (2023) and Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace (2024).
Set in 1979, Chachu follows Leila, a 19-year-old Pakistani-Canadian girl with a penchant for film and pulp novels, who travels to California hoping to connect with her estranged uncle—her “Chachu”—a middle-aged, semi-retired private eye once famous for marrying the starlet he was initially hired to find. But when his wife mysteriously vanishes once again, the two are forced on an impromptu road trip investigation that transforms her first taste of adulthood into a thrilling confrontation of family secrets, unresolved grief, and the fantasies both she and Chachu have built their lives around.
“I’ve always been deeply curious about comics as an art form because of their capacity to hold contradiction—arguably better than any other medium,” Vellani said in a statement. “That became especially meaningful to me while writing Chachu, which grew out of this tension between mourning my youth while I still have it, and an incessant urge to come-of-age already.”
“From the very first reading of Iman’s script, I could already picture this ’70s world revealing itself through reflections in sunglasses and rearview mirrors, slowly emerging through cigarette smoke and neon lights,” said Ignazzi. “I tried to capture Leila and Chachu’s journey through strong blacks and a graphic style that could still feel emotional and deeply narrative. Seeing my pages come to life through Jordie’s colors has been wonderful—she brought an incredible atmosphere, warmth, and cinematic depth to every scene.”
Vellani added, “It’s been an immense privilege to build my first original series alongside such an accomplished roster of collaborators, all of whom challenged and supported me in ways that made this book far better than anything I could’ve imagined on my own or in therapy.”
Chachu #1 arrives in comic stores and online on Wednesday, August 5.
We will update this article with preview pages when they become available!
Cover gallery:
- Cover A by Ignazzi
- Cover B 1:10 copy incentive by Matías Bergara
- Cover C 1:25 copy incentive by Jacob Phillips
- Cover D 1:50 copy incentive by Christian Ward
- Cover E Stealth Variant
Will you be picking up Chachu #1? Tell us in the comments down below!
Disclaimer: Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
