Back in 2023, Dark Horse Comics announced a new deal with J. Michael Straczynski to publish new, creator-owned comics from the legendary writer. Now, The Beat is proud to reveal the first series from that deal, Synthetics Vol. 1, a four-part, dystopian sci-fi tale created with artist Tony Parker (Medusa, Mass Effect: Foundation), colorist Carrie Strachan (Hellblazer, Smallville: Season 11), and letterer Steve Dutro (Plants vs Zombies, Cthulhu Cat).
On a dying Earth filled with expanding dead zones, humans form rage gangs to vent their anger at futures lost. Others escape into the cyber-void to escape the existential dread of what’s coming. The only hope for civilization’s survival rests with a new kind of human. Will their appearance in a desperate world be met with acceptance — or destruction? Are they angels, devils, or the latest iteration of Frankenstein’s monster?
In a statement, Straczynski describes Synthetics as being about life’s biggest questions, saying, “The question most often asked in speculative fiction, but which is really at the heart of all storytelling, is: what does it mean to be human? In our story, for the first time, synthetic humans have been created in order to save the human race from its own mistakes, and the ripple effect touches all of our characters: police, scientists, the press, the rich and powerful and all parts in-between. The ultimate question is, can the synthetics help us survive, and can we allow them to survive?”
Parker adds, “I was excited to work with J. Michael Straczynski, and once I read the script, I became elated. This work is a thing of beauty, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.” The book marks Straczynski’s first creator-owned comic since last year’s U & I, the latest entry in the Resistance Universe he created at AWA Studios with Mike Deodato in 2020. Aside from that, the 70-year old has been busy lately writing for Marvel again (something which will continue with the miniseries Amazing Spider-Man: Torn in October), and on a more personal note, moving to the UK, where he’ll be able to apply for full citizenship in 2028.
Synthetics Vol. 1 #1 (of 4) will retail for $4.99 when it releases in local comics shops and online on October 29, 2025. As the book’s title implies, there’ll presumably be more Synthetics miniseries to come, along with everything else Straczynski has planned at Dark Horse.
