Following his time helming DC movies like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League (the four-hour cut, not the theatrical cut), director Zack Snyder has been hard at work building new franchises for Netflix. His first foray into this field was with 2021’s Army of the Dead, and this December, his Rebel Moon saga will start unfolding. However, this sci-fi universe won’t just be depicted on screen, as the filmmaker has revealed that a Rebel Moon comic book tie-in series is on the way.
Taking to his X page, Snyder shared that Titan Comics is publishing a prequel series called Rebel Moon: House of the Bloodaxe, and the first issue will be released on January 10, 2024, i.e. a little under three weeks after Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire is released to Netflix subscribers. He also the various covers for Issue #1, as seen below, and Titan later confirmed this is a four-issue series, which is being written by Mags Visaggio, illustrated by Clark Bint and colored by Francesco Segala.
Excited to announce that the @RebelMoon universe is expanding beyond the screen with a prequel comic series. Issue 1 of REBEL MOON: HOUSE OF THE BLOODAXE will be published by @TitanComics on January 10, 2024, and available wherever comics are sold. pic.twitter.com/vCWbV9AoAHOctober 20, 2023
Although no specific plot details for House of the Bloodaxe have been revealed yet, we at least know who its central protagonists will be. Darrian Bloodaxe and his sister Debra, who, as you’ll see in the Rebel Moon cast list, are respectively played by Ray Fisher and Cleopatra Coleman. Both will team up with Sofia Boutella’s Kora in the first movie, but following their onscreen debuts, we’ll get to see what they were up to five years ahead of the first movie. Visaggio also shared on X that she created a world called Shasu for the prequel comic book series.
Rebel Moon: House of the Bloodaxe is the first project in this franchise to be announced following the two movies, but Zack Snyder is already formulating plans to expand this sci-fi universe even further. It’s previously been said that A Child of Fire (which is already getting a director’s cut) and its follow-up, The Scargiver, are intended to be the first two movies in a trilogy, though a third movie hasn’t been officially announced yet. Snyder also shared that there have been talks about a TV series focused on Fra Free’s Balisarius, the lead antagonist, although again, there’s no official word on whether such a project will move forward.
Still, if the Rebel Moon movies end up being massively successful, I imagine House of the Bloodaxe won’t be the only tie-in comic book series published. For now though, be on the lookout for the first issue come January either at your local comic book store or on digital services. Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire comes out on December 22, and Part Two — The Scargiver will follow on April 19, 2024. Alas, neither movie will be given a theatrical release.
