Through the Looking Glass: AWA Studios Unveils the Supernatural Reality of ‘Lesser Evils’

In an ambitious push to redefine how modern audiences interact with multi-platform storytelling, AWA Studios has officially pulled back the curtain on Lesser Evils. Billed as a "shared universe for the heartbroken and hype-obsessed," the project aims to merge the gritty, fast-paced reality of Brooklyn life with a surreal, supernatural underbelly. By launching simultaneously across digital comics, webtoons, and live-action short films, AWA is positioning Lesser Evils as a test case for a new, interconnected era of franchise building.

The Core Concept: Brooklyn Behind the Veil

At its heart, Lesser Evils is a project born from the intersection of contemporary cultural anxieties and the eternal, archetypal struggles of the human condition. Created by writer Ian Grody and director Justin Fair, with illustrative work by Yishan Li, the universe explores the "lesser evils"—the small, insidious, and often self-inflicted pitfalls that characterize modern existence.

The premise is deceptively simple: imagine the familiar, bustling landscape of Brooklyn, New York, but viewed through a cracked lens where golems, genies, and mermaids walk among the hipsters and hustlers. As Grody describes it, the setting is essential. "Brooklyn was the perfect backdrop because it’s not only a cultural hub, it’s a place of becoming," he explains. "Any place where there’s that much hope, desperation, and frustration is already full of magic."

A Chronology of the ‘Lesser Evils’ Rollout

The development of the Lesser Evils universe has been a deliberate, calculated expansion that began long before its public unveiling.

• June 2021: The seeds of the project were sown during a session at the Tribeca Film Festival, where AWA Studios hosted a panel on the convergence of graphic fiction with film and television. It was here that Grody and Fair first connected with the AWA editorial team.
• May 25, 2022: The official launch of the universe began with the digital release of EMMETT #1: A LESSER EVILS STORY. This launch was uniquely global, with simultaneous releases in six languages—English, French, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Hindi—via the digital platform GlobalComix.
• May 25 – July 22, 2022: A nine-week period designated for the serialization of webtoon episodes, releasing at a cadence of three episodes per week.
• August 24, 2022: The anticipated brick-and-mortar debut. EMMETT #1 hits physical comic shop shelves, followed by the retail rollout of the other core titles: GINN, THRIFTR, and TAILS.

The Four Pillars: A Breakdown of the Anthology

The Lesser Evils universe is built upon four foundational stories, each exploring a specific, supernatural take on modern life.

1. EMMETT: The Supernatural Roommate

The flagship series centers on Lydia Loew, an artisan potter struggling through the aftermath of a traumatic breakup in Bushwick. In a fit of grief and rage, she inadvertently manifests a golem from her own clay. The resulting entity, Emmett, serves as both a dark comedy catalyst and a supernatural assistant who helps Lydia navigate the pains of revenge and self-discovery.

2. GINN: The Existential Genie

GINN tackles the "quarter-life crisis" with a supernatural twist. After being granted his freedom, a cynical, hard-drinking genie finds himself untethered from his former master. His life takes a turn when he falls for a human woman working for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The narrative explores the moral dilemma of choosing personal happiness over the constraints of one’s past.

3. THRIFTR: The Startup Horror

A play on the competitive nature of the Brooklyn vintage market, THRIFTR follows two NYU graduates who open a boutique in Greenpoint. Their success is threatened when an antique wooden sculpture—which they never ordered—begins to manifest, feeding on the growing animosity between the two co-owners.

4. TAILS: The Call of the Sea

Perhaps the most grounded in social commentary, TAILS follows Maude, a line cook working for an abusive, predatory boss. Her story takes a turn toward the surreal when she befriends a mermaid living in a nearby canal. The story serves as a metaphorical exploration of agency, forcing Maude to choose between a life of submissive misery or an uncertain, aquatic escape.

Official Responses and Creative Vision

The team behind Lesser Evils emphasizes that the project is designed to be "eerily familiar." Director Justin Fair, drawing inspiration from the Bush/Institute rocker Gavin Rossdale, noted that the title itself refers to the "lesser" but more dangerous threats we face daily. "They are the pitfalls we all must avoid and the obstacles we all must navigate within ourselves to achieve a successful place in our social circles," Fair stated.

Will Graves, Managing Editor at AWA Studios, highlighted the strategic importance of the creative partnership. "We knew [Grody and Fair] had a creative style that synced perfectly with modern storytelling capable of inspiring a new generation of readers," Graves remarked. "The fact that a year later this connection has led to the collaboration and creation of four new series and a short film is a wonderful full-circle moment."

Christopher Carter, CEO of GlobalComix, praised the digital-first approach, noting that AWA’s strategy of simultaneous multi-language releases is a significant shift in how comic publishers reach a global audience.

Implications for the Future of Transmedia

The launch of Lesser Evils represents a broader trend in the comic book industry: the move away from the traditional, siloed publication model toward an integrated, multi-platform ecosystem. By pairing comic books with webtoons and live-action short films, AWA Studios is attempting to capture a "fandom-first" approach that treats the source material as a launchpad rather than an end product.

The inclusion of high-profile talent in the Emmett short film—including Isiah Whitlock Jr. (known for The Wire and Da 5 Bloods) as the voice of the golem—signals that AWA is treating these properties as high-level cinematic content.

However, the path is not without its shifts. The project initially drew attention for its potential integration of NFTs, but AWA Studios confirmed that those plans were scrapped as the "web3 world" landscape proved too volatile and fast-changing to sustain a long-term commitment. This pivot suggests a studio that is nimble, prioritizing narrative and reader accessibility over speculative technology.

Conclusion: A Mirror to Modern Life

Ultimately, Lesser Evils is not just about ghosts and monsters; it is about the "magic" inherent in the struggle to reinvent oneself. By grounding the supernatural in the very real, very stressful environment of 21st-century Brooklyn, the creators have established a universe that feels uniquely relevant. Whether the audience is drawn in by the promise of supernatural horror or the relatable drama of a bad breakup, AWA Studios is betting that this mix of the mundane and the magical will define the next generation of comic book franchises. As the series continues to roll out into comic shops and digital platforms throughout 2022, the industry will be watching to see if this "Brooklyn Through the Looking Glass" experiment can translate into a lasting, sustainable cultural phenomenon.