Read the First Chapter of Brandon Sanderson's DARK ONE Graphic Novel Now
Brandon Sanderson is a big name in the world of fantasy, and he has a new book coming out soon. The book will be a graphic novel called Dark One made in conjunction with Vault Comics. The story comes from Sanderson with Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing serving as writers, art by Nathan Gooden, colors by Kurt Michael Russell, and letters from Deron Bennett. THR recently shared the first chapter, which was meant to be released on Free Comic Book Day before that event was indefinitely postponed.
Dark One is set to release digitally on June 26 with physical copies shipping out after August 17. You can pre-order a copy now through Sanderson’s webstore or Vault Comics and the first 500 pre-orders include an exclusive bookplate signed by Sanderson, access to an exclusive livestream Q&A, a pack full of behind-the-scenes content, and 50% off other Vault digital editions.
Sanderson released the following letter for the launch:
Many years ago I had an idea for a story. Now, ideas aren’t precious things as a writer — you tend to have far more ideas than you can actually write. Some ideas, however, are special. These are the ideas that stay with you, haunt you, refuse to let you leave them alone.
This was one such idea. What if you discovered that you were a figure from the prophesy of a fantasy world? Only, unlike Harry Potter or any number of mythical heroes from books in the past, what if you found out the prophesy had identified you as the destroyer. Evil in embryo. The Dark One.
I tried on multiple different occasions to write this story--and it never worked. Until now.
The key was moving it out of a fantasy world, and making it a hybrid between our world and a fantastical realm. This change, along with making the tone darker, made for the secret blend I’d been hunting. In a furious bout of intense writing (when I should have been working on something else) I developed an outline that I loved. Something that finally worked.
The only problem was, as I’d paced it, the story didn’t feel like a novel. Not a traditional one, at least. So I began looking for a partnership that would tell the story the way I envisioned. This book is the final culmination of that process: the first story I’ve written intending it to be a graphic novel.
One of the most frustrating experiences of a writer’s life is having a story that doesn’t work. But there is a delightful experience that goes with that one, hand-in-hand. That’s the day where you finally get it right — when you finally get to see completed something that has required years of labor and worry.
It is with this sense of delight and long-awaited satisfaction that I finally get to present to you Dark One.
