Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski is collaborating with Dark Horse Comics to create original stories across multiple genres.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dark Horse President Mike Richardson has given him carte blanche to “write whatever he wants.”
“First up will be an international, geopolitical thriller that blends science fiction with the superhero genre in a way we really haven’t seen before. It’s going to be a huge story with massive global and personal stakes,” Straczynski said in a statement to THR. “This will be balanced by individual character stories designed to challenge the tropes of the superhero genre, building on what I did with books like Supreme Power, Midnight Nation and Rising Stars and taking it to the next level.”
Straczynski also said he would work on titles “in the modern dark fantasy and historical fantasy genres, along the lines of Neil Gaiman’s Chivalry,” and added that the stories would be “about strong characters that are challenging and fun, not nihilistic or too terribly dark. To that end, I’m proud to be part of the Dark Horse family of writers, artists, and other ne’er-do-wells.”
Richardson is equally excited about the partnership. “I’ve known Joe and have been a fan of his work for years,” he said in the same statement. “He’s had great success as a writer in both comics and television, and I’m very excited that he’s decided to bring his latest creator-owned projects to Dark Horse. We’re all looking forward to seeing what he’s got up his sleeve–we know it’s going to be something special.”
No news yet on when we’ll see the first of Straczynski’s stories at Dark Horse. In the meantime, we can check out his animated feature, Babylon 5: The Road Home,when it becomes available for purchase on August 25, 2023.
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