Seemingly determined to put as many obstacles in the path of finishing that next damn Game of Thrones book as possible, George R.R. Martin is set to develop a Marvel Comics adaptation of his Wild Cards books.
The anthology series launched in the late '80s and featured sci-fi/superhero tales from the likes of Martin, Howard Waldrop, Roger Zelazny and more than 30 other writers. The comic will be penned by Paul Cornell, with art by Mike Hawthorne.
“As my fans may already know, the Wild Cards World holds a special place in my heart,” Martin tells THR. “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 books were set in an alternate post-World War II history where Earth is home to super-powered individuals. According to the synopsis, "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."
A Wild Cards TV series is also in-development for Peacock, but it's been a while since we've had any updates.
Check out some cover art below, and let us know if you've ever read any of the books in the comments. Wild Cards issue #1 hits shelves this June.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.