New D&D Dark Sun Graphic Novels Coming from Dark Horse Comics
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Article Summary
- Dark Horse Books and Wizards of the Coast have officially announced a new trilogy of D&D Dark Sun graphic novels.
- The story follows Tikat, a Thri-kreen gladiator, and an unlikely team of anti-heroes, and is being written by Warhammer 40K novelist Dan Abnett and illustrated by Nil Vendrell.
- The upcoming graphic novels will tie-in to the Dark Sun supplements coming for D&D 5.5E in 2027.
- The first Dark Sun graphic novel will be released on April 20, 2027 and is available for preorder for $17.99 USD.
Dark Horse Books and Wizards of the Coast are officially joining forces to brave the blistering sands of Athas with a brand-new trilogy of standalone graphic novels set in the world of Dark Sun.
The first trade, simply entitled Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun Volume 1, will be written by British comic book author and novelist Dan Abnett (who is best known for his Warhammer 40K novels) with artwork by Nil Vendrell (creator of the popular indie hit Shirtless Bear-Fighter).
Volume 1 of the trilogy will be released in April 2027 to coincide with the launch of several new Dark Sun products for D&D 5.5E, but you can pre-order it now from local comic retailers, bookstores and Amazon.
So just what can fans expect with this new comic book take on Dark Sun? Below, we venture into the wastes to uncover all the details.
What is the first D&D Dark Sun graphic novel about?
Volume 1 of the upcoming trilogy is a deluxe 56-page hardcover book in the standard trade paperback size. The official description from Dark Horse reads as follows:
“On Athas, every day is the end of the world. Amidst an arid wasteland defiled by psionic magic, callous survivors fight for scraps in the shadows of sorcerer kings.
Generosity can get you killed in a place like this. But that won’t stop Tikat, an insectoid gladiator and eternal optimist, from trying to lend a helping claw. So, when Tikat’s friend Wik is targeted by a powerful enemy, Tikat volunteers himself as bodyguard.
What follows is an unhinged chase through the city of Tyr as Tikat and his reluctant companions are pursued by agents of a faceless evil. To escape with their lives, they’ll need to overcome the myriad dangers of Dark Sun: murderous thugs, cruel psionics, hungry cannibals, and the very land itself! Who will survive?”
Who is the creative team on the Dark Sun graphic novel?
The team working on Volume 1 includes:
- Dan Abnett (Writer): A New York Times best-selling author best known for his many Warhammer 40,000 novels. He has also written numerous comic books for Marvel, DC Comics, Boom!, Valiant and 2000 AD.
- Nil Vendrell (Artist): An award-winning comic book artist best known for his indie series Shirtless Bear-fighter, as well as the TKO comic book series Redfork and the Dark Horse series Hidden Springs.
- Mattia Iacono (Colorist): An Italian comic book colorist who has worked for Marvel, Boom!, Image, Vault Comics, Oni Press, Dark Horse.
- Buddy Beaudoin (Letterer): An award-winning letterer who has worked at Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse, Image, Mad Cave Studios, Aftershock and Scout Comics.
- Jeff Stokely (Cover Artist): An acclaimed illustrator who has contributed to numerous other Dark Horse titles, including a well-known cover run on the recent Terminator series.
How much is the new Dark Sun graphic novel?
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun Volume 1 will retail for $17.99 USD (not including shipping and handling). An ebook will also likely be available, although a price point has not yet been listed.
When will the Dark Sun graphic novel be released?
Volume 1 of the new D&D Dark Sun series will be available on April 20, 2027. At that point it should be available online and at most major retailers. Notably, this will be a few months after the release of the new D&D 5.5E Dark Sun books, which are coming out in February 2027 as part of the Season of Survival.
What other Dark Horse D&D comics are in the works?
Dark Horse has definitely been ramping up its D&D comic book line over the past few years and has released a number of series, including:
- The Fallbacks: The initial miniseries that launched Dark Horse’s D&D license, with a series based on the popular Forgotten Realms Fallbacks novels by author Jaleigh Johnson.
- Total Party Killers: A comedic take on traditional dungeon crawls that flips the script by following a group of misfit monsters who are tasked with defending their dungeon from invading adventuring parties.
- Ravenloft: A four-issue gothic horror miniseries set in the Domains of Dread that follows the adventures of mad scientist Viktra Mordenheim.
- Ongoing D&D Series: Follows the exploits of the legendary wizard Mordenkainen as he travels to the Forgotten Realms to stop an ancient draconic enemy.
- Baldur’s Gate 3: A new series is in the works based on the popular video game and starring companions including Astarion and Karlach.
Final thoughts
This actually isn’t the first time Dark Sun has appeared in comic book form, with IDW publishing a five-issue series back in 2011. 15 years later, it looks like the world of Athas is back and more brutal than ever.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the new D&D Dark Sun graphic novels in the days ahead and will be doing a review closer to launch in April 2027. In the meantime, you can pre-order Volume 1 now from your local comic retailer, bookstore and Amazon.
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Jason Volk is the Publisher of Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics and lives in the wilds of Western Canada. He has been playing D&D for over 25 years and is a huge fan of Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms. His favorite character of all time was a Necromancer named Neek who spent most of his adventuring career resurrecting the corpses of slain monsters. When he’s not playing TTRPGs, Jason enjoys video games, Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer 40K, watching football and spending time with his wife and adorably nerdy children.
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