Zack Snyder Announces Rebel Moon Prequel With A Sneak Preview
Zack Snyder's science fiction epic "Rebel Moon" is getting a comic prequel after the film's release. "Excited to announce that the @RebelMoon universe is expanding beyond the screen with a prequel comic series," the director announced on X (formerly Twitter). "Rebel Moon: House of The Bloodaxe" will take place five years before the events of the upcoming movie and put the spotlight on outlaw revolutionaries Devra (Cleopatra Coleman) and Darrian Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher).
"Rebel Moon" tells the story of Kora (Sofia Boutella), a fighter who teams up with warriors across the universe to take on the corrupt forces of The Imperium. The Netflix film first began as Snyder's pitch to Lucasfilm for a new "Star Wars" spinoff but later evolved into its own world. The movie features a stacked cast, including Boutella, Fisher, Coleman, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Jena Malone, Ed Skrein, Fra Free, and Anthony Hopkins. With an estimated budget of $166 million, the film is the first of a two-part story. The trailer for "Rebel Moon" was released this month, showing off the impressive world-building from Snyder.
After "Rebel Moon" — subtitled "Part One: A Child of Fire" — arrives on Netflix, Snyder's world expands in a new comic book series from writer Mags Visaggio ("Transformers vs. The Visionaries"), artist Clark Bint ("Murder Most Mundane") and colors from Francesco Segala ("House of Slaughter").
What is Rebel Moon: House of The Bloodaxe?
"Rebel Moon: House of The Bloodaxe" is based on a story from Zack Snyder, with the filmmaker collaborating with writer Mags Visaggio in planning the prequel world. The four-part comic series focuses on a war brewing on the planet Shasu. The series sees Darrian Bloodaxe confronting his complicated legacy while trying to keep the peace on his homeworld. However, with a war on the horizon, he will have little time to figure things out.
"I'm excited to collaborate with Mags to explore the rich and complex backstory of the Bloodaxe siblings," Snyder shared in a press release. "In REBEL MOON: HOUSE OF THE BLOODAXE, fans will get to discover their motivation, as well as the genesis of the rebellion." Meanwhile, Visaggio compared "House of The Bloodaxe" to a Shakespearean tragedy, writing, "It's all extremely personal, a family in conflict with its patriarch who is in conflict with himself at a moment when they need to be united. It's a story about failure and the consequences of failure."
Titan Comics debuted three preview pages revealing a further look at Shasu. The first look features a man wielding a bow walking through a hot desert and encountering the hunt of an alien creature. At the same time, the Bloodaxe family and the village's inhabitants appear to be having a tense meeting inside their base of operations.
Titan Comics/Clark Bint
Titan Comics/Clark Bint
Titan Comics/Clark Bint
When does Rebel Moon's prequel story come out?
Titan Comics refers to "Rebel Moon: House of The Bloodaxe" as essential reading for those wanting to know more about the story Zack Snyder is telling with his Netflix film. Expanding into comics is a smart idea as it allows Snyder and co. to build on the galaxy seen in the film without worrying about budget constraints involved with filmmaking, simultaneously offering a new medium for storytelling with new creative voices added to the mix.
Issue one features four different covers with stunning works from Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, Rafael Albuquerque, Baldemar Rivas, and Andrea Olimpieri. Check out Lau's cover showcasing Devra and Darrian Bloodaxe, followed by the accompanying text preview.
Titan Comics/Stanley Artgerm Lau
As war is looming on the horizon on the planet Shasu, the leader of the Bloodaxe family is conflicted between living up to his father's domineering legacy and maintaining the peace. It is up to him to settle the conflicts within himself, and his family, before the entire planet erupts in war.
Readers can learn more about the world of "Rebel Moon" when "Rebel Moon: House of The Bloodaxe" #1 arrives in comic book stores and online retailers on January 10, 2024. "Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire" is set to release on Netflix (with a limited theatrical release later) on December 22, 2023. "Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver" releases the following year on April 19.