'Strange Tails' Creators Bring a Mystical Menagerie to Scarlet Witch's Last Door

In SCARLET WITCH (2023) #1, Wanda Maximoff created the Last Door as a way to help people in their most desperate hour of need. Since then, she has faced her necromantic Multiversal counterpart Lore, taken on an apprentice in Amaranth, and helped out fan-favorite characters like Daredevil and Black Cat—but nothing could have prepared her for the clientele she’ll assist in STRANGE TAILS INFINITY COMIC (2025). After Venomouse bursts through the Last Door, Wanda finds herself helping a parade of mystical, magical animals from across the Marvel Universe.

Speaking to Marvel.com, STRANGE TAILS INFINITY COMIC (2025) writer Preeti Chhibber and artist Bailie Rosenlund break down everything you need to know before you dive into the new series, available exclusively on Marvel Unlimited. They teased a few of the familiar faces who will appear at Wanda’s door, including Bats the Ghost Dog and Hellcow, as well as some of the silly scenarios they’ll get Wanda into. They also shared the challenges and joys of working with characters that just happen to also be animals, how the series compares to their previous work at Marvel, and so much more.

MARVEL.COM: Set the stage for us: what do readers need to know before they pick up STRANGE TAILS INFINITY COMIC (2025) #1?

PREETI CHHIBBER: Not too much! Just that Wanda has a shop now in upstate New York (Lotkill) called the Emporium, and in that shop is a door… well, the Last Door, which people use when they are in need of great aid. But what if it wasn’t just people who needed help… I’m being coy: it’s animals! Animals also need help!!!

MARVEL.COM: Preeti, this isn't the first time you've worked with Scarlet Witch. How does STRANGE TAILS compare to your experience on HOUSE OF HARKNESS INFINITY COMIC (2024)? What makes STRANGE TAILS stand out?

PREETI CHHIBBER: I think they’re wildly different series. HOUSE OF HARKNESS was a magical girl AU (honestly I wish it had more animals??) where I got to play with throwing our favorite characters into a boarding school, disconnected from their usual histories. With STRANGE TAILS, we’re in the main Marvel Universe and it’s the Wanda we’ve known forever.

MARVEL.COM: Bailie, you’re no stranger to the mystical side of the Marvel Universe, having worked with Bloodline and Blackheart on AVENGERS ACADEMY INFINITY COMIC (2024), but what new dimension did Scarlet Witch bring to your palette?

BAILIE ROSENLUND: Wanda was really fun to play with! We see her use her magic in various ways, whether it’s to portal into an evil CEO’s office, or to build a luxury cat-io, we’ll see her bend reality in some unique ways!

A bit of a juxtaposition from the son of Mephisto and the daughter of the vampire-slaying dhampir, STRANGE TAILS also gave us an insight Scarlet Witch’s seemingly more mundane time running her magic shop. At times, we see her running inventory stock while being interrupted by a ghost dog, or even trying to catch some sleep before being awoken by a vampiric cow. Just another day in the life of the Scarlet Witch, I suppose!

MARVEL.COM: Bailie, what are some of the challenges of working with expressive characters who also happen to be animals?

BAILIE ROSENLUND: I’m so used to drawing more humanoid characters. And as humans, it’s a lot easier for us to recognize and relate to subtler emotions. So exploring a vast array of emotions through animals was definitely a bit of a challenge! Especially since some of them didn’t even have irises…  In this case, I had to really push the facial expressions and emphasize the overall body language—playing a fine line between human expressions while maintaining their animalistic core.

MARVEL.COM: What did the Last Door offer you the opportunity to do with this series, that perhaps a different setting could not?

PREETI CHHIBBER: The issues are short, and the Last Door offers a way for animals to get to the Emporium without my having to spend time on their journeys—so we can get right to the fun stuff, the interactions between these super-powered creatures and Wanda.

BAILIE ROSENLUND: I think the Last Door really opened a door (pun partially intended) to any and all our guests. We know the door is typically made clear to those with dire needs, but we see most of our guests through this series may have needs that appear to be less than dire—even at times, comical. It allowed us to play a lot with tone through an almost "monster-of-the-week" style. "Who’s coming through the door this week? What will Wanda help them with this time??"

MARVEL.COM: What was one of your favorite parts of working with each other on this project?

PREETI CHHIBBER: Bailie’s work is so beautiful. My consistent email was, "No notes on my end! " because she just knocked out of the park every time. I couldn’t get over how perfectly she captured every one of Wanda’s expressions, and also the cuteness overload of these critters!

BAILIE ROSENLUND: Working with Preeti was so great! I loved HOUSE OF HARKNESS, so it was really exciting to get to do this series together. Her scripts are so much fun—full of charm and whimsy and wit. Translating that visually was also a joy, playing with style and tone to push those really great bits she wrote.

MARVEL.COM: Who was your personal favorite guest star, and why?

PREETI CHHIBBER: Bats!!! The second I found about this series, I was already thinking about Bats. One of my favorite issues in the last decade is DOCTOR STRANGE (2015) #390—Donny Cates writing Spider-Man and Bats’ gleeful joy with one another is something I return to all the time. It’s so sweet!!

BAILIE ROSENLUND: Hmm… I think I’d have to say Hellcow! I just think a vampire cow is so incredibly charming. And I admire her dramatic problem-solving techniques.

MARVEL.COM: What are you most excited for readers to see?

PREETI CHHIBBER: Bats, obviously, but also there are some exciting cameos coming up!

BAILIE ROSENLUND: I’m excited for all of it! Every story is a fun surprise to who each guest will be. If I had to tease one in particular though… there is an issue with almost no dialogue that includes some very funny hijinks—and features a guest mutant I was very excited to have the opportunity to draw!

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