George R.R. Martin is joining forces with Marvel Comics.
The Game of Thrones author is bringing his Wild Cards stories to the hallowed comic imprint.
Marvel is adapting Martin’s first Wild Cards book, which kicked off a long-running anthology series in 1987 with stories by Martin, Howard Waldrop and Roger Zelazny.
“As my fans may already know, the Wild Cards World holds a special place in my heart,” Martin said. “So to have the privilege of announcing that an industry titan like Marvel is going to produce the narrative from the beginning as a comic book brings me no end of joy.”
The Wild Cards series tells the story of an alternate post-World War II history where Earth is home to super-powered individuals. When a human is infected with the alien Wild Card virus, the odds are that they will be killed — referred to as “drawing the black queen.” Of those that survive, the bulk becomes “jokers” — left with some strangely mutated form. A lucky few are “aces,” those gifted with superpowers they can put to use towards heroic goals … or villainous ones.
Writer Paul Cornell and artist Mike Hawthorne have signed on to create the comics for Marvel.
“Wild Cards is still a unique take on superheroes, a creation story that’s influenced everything since, but still maintains its power,” Cornell said. “It’s an honor and a pleasure to bring all these wonderful stories to their natural home at Marvel, and I hope to give George, Melinda and the rest of the Wild Cards Collective the credit they deserve for making the superhero myth new again. Plus: just look at that art!”
A Wild Cards TV series has also been in development, most recently at Peacock.
Marvel’s Wild Cards: The Drawing of the Cards #1 hits stands June 1.
