Last year it was announced that Marvel and Games Workshop were teaming up to bring the world of Warhammer to comic books, and now the publisher has announced that writer Kieron Gillen (Star Wars: Darth Vader) and artist Jacen Burrows (Punisher: Soviet) are set to explore the story of a legendary Space Marine Chapter Master in Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar.
Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar will explore Calgar’s never-before-told origin story – from his beginnings on the world of Nova Thulium, his campaigns in the Black Crusades, and to the unfolding mystery of the Black Altar as a deadly threat from his past reemerges to threaten the present of the Ultramar system.
“I am venerable enough to have bought Rogue Trader in 1987,” reveals Gillen. “Since then, I like to think every hastily dry-brushed Necron, every badly edge-highlighted Marine, every ignored Harlequin (as painting Motley petrified me) has prepared me for writing the first Warhammer comics for Marvel. If I said, ‘Getting to explore the roots of Marneus Calgar and setting the stage for Marvel’s Warhammer comics is a dream come true,’ I would be betraying everything this grim future should be since ‘dream’ implies the possibility of hope. But getting to do this is the sort of thing Slaanesh would wave in my direction if she wanted me coming over to the tentacle-y side. Or to translate for those less indoctrinated in 40K. I’m excited.
“When we first started working with Marvel on comics, we knew it was going to lead to something exceptional, and it really has,” added Jon Gillard, Games Workshop’s Global Head of Licensing. “We were both keen to focus on one of the most central Warhammer characters there is and tell their origin story, something that Marvel does oh so brilliantly. Kieron’s depth of Warhammer knowledge mixed with his extraordinary comic writing skill has delivered a unique series that further expands upon the already massive 40K lore. As huge comic fans ourselves we couldn’t be more excited about this first expression of our partnership with Marvel.”
Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar #1 will go on sale in August.
