Fans of BOOM! Studios’ incredible series Giant Days might not know this, but lead characters Daisy, Esther, and Susan have been around for a bit longer than the BOOM! series itself. Before the publisher picked up the title, Giant Days writer John Allison, a longtime webcomics artist, released three self-published Giant Days stories that will now be officially collected in Giant Days: Early Registration.

In this new book, the Bad Machinery creator reveals the origin behind the Giant Days core trio’s friendship. They’ll take part in college orientation exercises and even find themselves lost amidst a secret society dedicated to Black Metal.

Allison commented on the announcement of the title, explaining why this release is close to his heart and why Giant Days is, for the most part, not as overtly supernatural as his other works, which take place in the same universe:

The three self-published Giant Days comics are very special to me so I’m thrilled that BOOM! Studios putting them out in this collected edition. Though Esther had appeared before in my webcomics, these were the first appearances of Susan, Daisy and Ed Gemmell, and they seemed to hit the page fully formed. The stories in Early Registrationare as interesting to me for the directions I decided not to go in the BOOM! Studios series – crazy battles, yogic flying, demonic presences – as all the things that laid the groundwork for what came a few years later. They’ve always felt like part of the whole to me so I can’t wait for more people to be able to read them.

Giant Days: Early Registration will release in December 2018. Comicon, who broke the story, has more details and an additional preview of an interior page.