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Get ready for The Expanse's return as Bobbie busts a black market weapons ring in new comic miniseries
With the fifth season of Amazon Prime's TV series The Expanse finally getting the "all-go" and blasting off on Dec. 15, eager fans of this monumental series can satiate themselves until then with an explosive new comic book miniseries being published by Boom! Studios beginning on Dec. 2. — and SYFY WIRE has an exclusive preview.
Written by Corinna Bechko (Green Lantern: Earth One) and packed with outstanding illustrations by artist Alejandro Aragon (Resonant), The Expanse is a new four-issue limited series that acts as a perfect connecting point between Season 4 and the upcoming Season 5 of Amazon's engaging sci-fi saga.
The plotline surges forward with Chrisjen Avasarala, the feisty, F-bomb-dropping Secretary-General of the United Nations, following the events at the conclusion of the TV series' fourth season. Avasarala discovers herself dealing with the aftermath of the turbulent elections while she's relaxing a long way from Earth, but not its convoluted political landscape.
When gung-ho ex-Martian marine Bobbie Draper brings Avasarala fresh intel on an intergalactic black market weapons ring, Avasarala sees an opportunity to regain her political clout through a covert operation.
But, as Draper plunges deeper into this secret cabal, she realizes the emerging threat these criminals pose is far greater and closer to home than either of them could have ever imagined.
Bechko offers details as to exactly how this new The Expanse project bridges the gap between seasons 4 and 5.
"It's a stand-alone story that tells us what some of our favorite characters are doing during the break between seasons," she tells SYFY WIRE. "A lot of big changes happened during Season 4, and in this miniseries we get to see how those changes impact Bobbie and Chrisjen. It's not essential to read the comic in order to enjoy Season 5 of the show, but I hope it might enrich the experience a little for those who do.
"I love their dynamic — two very competent women who respect each other but couldn't hope to operate effectively in the other's world. It's always interesting when they're thrown together because you know sparks can fly but that they have come to trust each other — something that is perhaps not easy for either of them."
"I really love the series — it's smart, and so much of the drama rests not just on neat sci-fi concepts but on the actual mechanics of how those concepts would translate in the real world with delays in communication, political intrigue, and power dynamics," Bechko adds. "To me, that's what makes a good story. And due to its setting, The Expanse is full of amazing visuals which make us really think. At heart, these two things are what make great comics: a good story and amazing visuals."
She believes Alejandro Aragon's intense artwork for The Expanse enhances and illuminates her turbulent sci-fi story.
"His work is perfectly suited to this kind of story-telling," she notes. "He can create breathtaking visuals but never at the expense of the human element. When he renders expressions and body language you can see the characters acting, so the story is told not just with dialogue or scenery, but through the subtle details of how the characters react as well.
"He has made this story so much richer and more impactful than what it would have otherwise been. I'm thankful to my editors at BOOM! for bringing this team together. I'd like to mention the colors that Francesco Segala brings to the mix too - his contribution is important and really sets the mood of each scene."
Boom! Studios' The Expanse #1 debuts on Dec. 2. with a main cover by W. Scott Forbes (Firefly) and variant cover from artist Tigh Walker (Venom: Annual). Enjoy our 5-page peek of the premiere issue in the gallery below!
