The world of Dune expands in exclusive first look at 'Blood of the Sardaukar' comic series

Last year, the world of Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi saga Dune expanded into comics with a trilogy of graphic novel adaptations from Abrams ComicArts and the launch of Dune: House Atreides, an adaptation of the prequel novel of the same name from BOOM! Studios. Earlier this year, BOOM! announced the second title in its Dune publishing plan, Blood of the Sardaukar, and today SYFY WIRE is pleased to reveal an exclusive first look at the next bloody chapter in one of sci-fi's most enduring franchises. 

Like House Atreides before it, Dune: Blood of the Sardaukar will be written by Brian Herbert (son of Frank Herbert) and Kevin J. Anderson, who've been the keepers of Dune lore on the page for decades now through a series of novels and stories expanding the saga. This time, Herbert and Anderson are teaming up with artist Adam Gorham (Punk Mambo, The Blue Flame), colorist Patricio Delpeche (Origins), and letterer Ed Dukeshire (Once & Future) to tell a new story running parallel to the events of Dune, shedding new light on the events that set Paul Atreides' rise into motion. 

The Sardaukar of the title are the Emperor's elite fighting force, unbeatable and fiercely loyal soldiers who will do anything for the Imperium. The series will follow Jopati Kolona, a Sardaukar who believes House Atreides to be the ones responsible for the death of his family and the loss of his home planet. When he meets Duke Leto Atreides, though, Kolona begins questioning a lifelong commitment to vengeance, and things only get more complicated when the Emperor sends down the order for Kolona and his men to overthrow the Duke and his new stronghold on Arrakis. 

In the gallery below, along with variant covers for the first issue, you'll see some action-packed pages that show what it looks like when the Sardaukar undertake their mission to conquer the Atreides forces, and witness Kolona's fierce commitement to his identity as one of the Emperor's best warriors. 

Launched last October in anticipation of the upcoming film adaptation by director Denis Villeneuve, Dune: House Atreides introduced a new group of readers to the expanded world of Dune, in collaboration with Herbert Properties LLC. Now, Blood of the Sardaukar is set to show us a side of the Dune story we've never seen before, and BOOM!'s not done yet. If we've learned anything from absorbing Dune and its vast universe over the last five decades, it's that there are always more stories to tell. 

Dune: Blood of the Sardaukar #1 arrives July 28.