For years, Emilia Clarke has been known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen on HBO’s Game of Thrones, making a lasting name for herself in television history in the process. But after her exploits in Westeros, the Emmy-nominated actress is moving into a different genre. Clarke seems to be transitioning to the world of superheroes, as she was just reported to be joining Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion TV show for Disney+. But ahead of the show, she’s announced that she’s working on her own superhero comic book series.
Emilia Clarke took to her Instagram to reveal that she’s been working on an original comic book series for the last two years. The series, called M.O.M.: Mother of Madness (a nice play on Clarke’s GoT title), is a three-issue miniseries written by Clarke and comics writer Marguerite Bennett, with Leila Leiz serving as illustrator, Isobel Richardson as contributor and Jo Ratcliffe serving as cover artist. Speaking of the cover, Clarke revealed the first issues’ on Instagram as well. Check it out down below:
M.O.M.: Mother of Madness centers on Maya, a single mother who discovers that she possesses unique powers and ultimately resolves to use them to take down a sex trafficking ring. While speaking with EW about the book, Emilia Clarke described it as Deadpool-esque and mentioned that it will possess a current feminist sensibility. While Clarke wouldn’t divulge any of Maya’s actual abilities, she did discuss what makes character the right person to be a superhero:
We're always calling mothers superheroes, and I'm like, what if they were? What if they legitimately were superheroes? Maya has had a very hard life, and she finds herself in a place where everything that makes her unique, she hates and is ashamed about. It's only in the discovery of her powers that she finds her true acceptance of who she is.
Emilia Clarke describes herself as a “fangirl” and, based on her recent comments, it sounds like she’s put a lot of thought into this project. Although comics from Marvel and DC are certainly exciting, it’s always nice to see what publishers like Image Comics and Dark Horse can cook up for readers.
Should M.O.M.: Mother of Madness proves to be a success, one already can’t help but wonder if the series has TV or film potential. If the past decade or so has taught us anything, it’s that comic book properties, no matter how graphic or unconventional they are, can receive live-action or animated adaptations. And if that’s the case for M.O.M., Clarke could even find herself playing the lead role.
We’ll have to see more before we can determine whether Emilia Clarke’s comic book is ready for an adaptation but, so far, it sounds like a lot of fun. The first issue of M.O.M.: Mother of Madness hits stands on July 21st.
