Back in December, BOOM! Studios announced Origins, an original sci-fi graphic novel from creators Arash Amel, Joseph Oxford, and Lee Toland Krieger. The book was originally slated for release this October, but the global coronavirus pandemic ended up putting a halt to many a publisher’s best-laid plans. Now BOOM! has announced, exclusively to The Beat, that Origins will now be presented as a limited series. Written by Clay McLeod Chapman, with art by Jakub Rebelka, color art by Patricio Delpeche, and letters by Jim Campbell, all from a story by Amel, Oxford, Krieger, and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, the first issue of the series is due to hit stores in November.
Along with the series announcement, BOOM! has also provided The Beat with an exclusive first look at Jakub Rebelka’s cover to Origins #1:
Here’s how BOOM! describes Origins:
One thousand years after humans have gone extinct and artificial intelligence has taken over the world, a single man is brought back to life—David Adams, the genius whose technology was responsible for the destruction of his species, and who has been given a second chance at life in order to save mankind and undo his biggest mistake.
But even with the help of Chloe, his first creation and the android that revived him, he may not be enough to reignite the spark of humanity or stop the AI overlords who plan to eliminate the last hope for mankind. David and Chloe must embark on the greatest journey of their lives, as he seeks to find redemption and discover if humanity can – or should – have any kind of future.
Origins is the latest title from BOOM! Studios to have been originally planned as a graphic novel. The recently-launched Wynd from writer James Tynion IV, artist Michael Dialynas, and letterer Aditya Bidikar was initially announced as a graphic novel before instead surprise-launching as a five-issue miniseries last month. That series has been a big success, with the first printing of the first issue selling out quickly, and a second printing that appears to have already sold out at the distributor level ahead of its release next week. BOOM! is surely hoping to replicate that success with Origins, a book that, while it may not have a big-name creator like Tynion on it, has a fantastic-sounding premise, and that seems likely to lend itself well to serialized monthly storytelling.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, BOOM! senior editor Dafna Pleban described the appeal of the new series, and what went into the decision to make it a miniseries:
“ORIGINS has everything a sci-fi fan could want – a distant future run by AI run amok but also a beautiful dystopian world where the line separating life from death is tenuous at best. It’s a fight for survival, and it’ll keep you guessing who’ll win until the very end.” said Dafna Pleban, Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “This is an epic story that we couldn’t wait to get in the hands of sci-fi fans and readers everywhere so we’re very excited to be launching the series in November with a first issue you won’t want to miss.”
You can check out some preview pages from the first issue below, and look for Origins #1 in stores this November.
