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'Game of Thrones' author George R.R. Martin bringing his 'Wild Cards' world to Marvel Comics
This news is — dare we say it — aces!
George R.R. Martin is back in the news again, but not for something as trivial as, say, finishing The Winds of Winter.
No, the celebrated Game of Thrones author has partnered up with Marvel for a brand-new limited comic book series based in the Wild Cards universe that he and others first crafted in a 1987 anthology (since then, numerous collections co-edited by Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass have been published). Written by Paul Cornell and drawn by Mike Hawthorne, the comic will adapt stories from the initial Wild Cards volume (co-edited by Martin and Snodgrass) penned by Martin, Harold Waldrop, and Roger Zelazny.
“Wild Cards is still a unique take on super heroes, a creation story that’s influenced everything since, but still maintains its power,” Cornell said in a statement published by the Marvel website. “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 super hero myth new again. Plus: just look at that art!”
"As my fans may already know, the Wild Cards world holds a special place in my heart, 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," added Martin.
The stories take place in an alternate version of the post-World War II period when humanity is infected with an incurable alien disease capable of several different random outcomes, hence the term "Wild Card." An infected person can die ("drawing the black queen"), end up as a horribly mutated "joker," or gain special abilities that turn them into "aces." Those lucky enough to survive with meta-human powers have to make a choice: will they use their powers for good or for evil?
Wild Cards: The Drawing of Cards #1 goes on sale Wednesday, June 1.
As of March 2021, Peacock was in the midst of developing a small screen adaptation of the literary mythos after acquiring the project from Hulu. Martin, Snodgrass, and Vince Gerardis (Game of Thrones) are all on board as executive producers.
The other big Martin-related news this week came from the author's blog where he confirmed that filming has wrapped in the U.K. for the first 10 episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. "I've seen rough cuts of a few of them, and I’m loving them," Martin teased. "Of course, a lot more work needs to be done. Special effects, color timing, score, all the post production work. But the writing, the directing, the acting all look terrific. I hope you will like them as much as I do."
Peacock & SYFY WIRE are both owned by NBCUniversal
