Mark Wahlberg Announces ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER Comic Book That He Wants to Be a Sci-Fi Film Franchise

Mark Wahlberg is getting into the comic book business, and he wants his upcoming sci-fi comic Alien Bounty Hunter to be the "next big thing." He and producer Stephen Levinson (Boardwalk Empire, Ballers) are hoping that this comic book they've developed with be a big sci-fi film franchise. Thanks to the press release we have some details on the story:

In ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER, Ben Madsen is tasked with apprehending a wanted fugitive…but quickly learns that his target is not of this world. Madsen must track his mark through an alien enclave populated by the galaxy’s most dangerous aliens—right here on Earth.

I'll be honest, it doesn't sound like anything we already haven't seen before, but maybe the story will be decent. Wahlberg and Levinson had this to say about it in a joint statement:

"Some of today’s greatest film franchises originated as comics. We always try to get involved with the story telling process from its inception. With ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER we are creating a new hero’s origin story."

Starting this whole franchise off in the form of a comic book may come off as a little disingenuous, but it will definitely help in gauging interest to see if there's a real market for it and if it actually has a decent story worth spending millions of dollars on adapting into a film. It's a cheap way to test the waters. As for who is developing the comic, here's some information on the talented team they've brought together:

On the comic end, award-winning writer Adrian F. Wassel (THE GIFTED from CME) and David M. Booher (POWERLESS from Vault) have penned scripts from a story by Levinson and F.J. DeSanto (FAILSAFE from Vault, CYBORG 009 from Archaia). Nick Robles (MAZE RUNNER and CLOCKWORK ANGELS, both from BOOM!) will provide art, with letters by Deron Bennet (Eisner-nominee for TALES OF SAND, from Archaia).

The press release goes on to offer the following statement from those people who are involved with bringing this comic to life:

“I’m thrilled to collaborate with Mark and Lev on this project,” says Vault Publisher Damian Wassel. “With their guidance, the creative team has produced a potential flagship comic for the Vault brand.”

“We’re wearing our hearts on our sleeves with ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER” says Adrian Wassel, co-writer and Editor-in-Chief, Vault Comics. “I mean, look at the title. All at once, we’ve crafted an homage and a send-up of every adventure flick and action hero we’ve ever loved.”

“The true heart of ALIEN BOUNTY HUNTER – and what’s made it so much fun to write – is that it’s much, much smarter than it lets on” says co-writer David Booher. “Early on we leaned into the theme of ‘Things are never what they seem.’ You’ll see it pop everywhere, from the unexpected depth in Madsen’s character to the even more unexpected alien we’ve created. We want readers to be in constant surprise in the best way possible.”

Artist Nick Robles adds, “ABH is an artist’s dream job! David and Adrian’s exciting scripts truly draw the reader in. I urge everyone to join us for this adventure.”

We'll just have to wait and see if it actually goes anywhere beyond the comic. Below you can check out a preview that was released. So far, I can't say that I'm impressed.

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