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- The Expanse: Dragon Tooth Sets New Record as BOOM! Studios' Biggest Kickstarter Launch of All Time
Fans of The Expanse should rejoice as its Kickstarter campaign for a new comic series has shattered all expectations for its original goal. Originally conceived as a series of books by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse became a television show that, much like the novels, follows a detective who joins with a rogue ship crew to solve the mystery of a missing woman, placing them all in the middle of a political conspiracy set in the distant future. The Expanse's sixth and final season on Amazon Prime ended in January 2022. Just over a year later, it is all but confirmed that the Hugo Award-winning science fiction drama will be returning, albeit in a far different capacity than in The Expanse's previous televised form.
Overseen and supervised by author James S.A. Corey himself, this Kickstarter campaign was started with hopes of gifting audiences with a new story that finally reveals what happened in the 30-year gap between the sixth book, Babylon's Ashes, and the seventh book, Persepolis Rising, chronicling the adventures of the Rocinante crew during that time period. This period can now be explored in the 12-issue maxiseries The Expanse: Dragon Tooth from BOOM! Studios, set in the world of The Expanse after the finale and before the events of the seventh novel. Set to be written by Andy Diggle with art from Rubine, illustrations by E.M. Gist can be found below. The Kickstarter campaign for The Expanse: Dragon Tooth BOOM! Studios Deluxe Pre-Order was originally pledged for a modest $25,000 goal, but thanks to 1,198 backers and counting as of this writing, $179,251 has been raised with 29 days to go.
UPDATE: 2023/02/09 11:37 EST BY ANDREW DYCE
The Expanse: Dragon Tooth Sets New Record as BOOM! Studios' Biggest Kickstarter Launch of All Time
The launch of The Expanse: Dragon Tooth's official pre-order Kickstarter has exceeded even the highest expectations, with the latest BOOM! Deluxe Pre-Order Campaign ending the first day with a total of $342,214 raised--not only exceeding the much-anticipated Keanu Reeves comic project BRZRKR's launch day, but a new record as BOOM! Studios' biggest Kickstarter launch of all time.
With The Expanse: Dragon Tooth continuing the story of the Alcon Television Group's acclaimed series, the group President Ben Roberts credits this record as further testament to the fanbase surrounding the work of the original show:
“We cannot be more thrilled that our incredible and devoted The Expanse fanbase have responded so enthusiastically to the continuation of this story! THE EXPANSE: DRAGON TOOTH is only just the beginning of the expansion we hope to bring to this universe!”
Since the record-setting launch numbers for BRZRKR ultimately led to its claim as the year's biggest comic book Kickstarter campaign, BOOM! President of Publishing & Marketing Filip Sablik also shares a similar hope for Dragon Tooth following its record-breaking debut. Especially with four more weeks of crowdfunding to come:
“Beginning with BRZRKR, BOOM! Studios has positioned itself as the premiere publisher for exciting comic book projects on Kickstarter. With each BOOM! DELUXE PRE- ORDER CAMPAIGN we challenge ourselves to bring new fans into the medium of comic book storytelling and give them a premium experience. I cannot overstate how excited all of us at BOOM! Studios are that the vast, immersive galaxy of The Expanse has earned its place amongst the Kickstarter stars.”
Significance of The Expanse Continuation
This wouldn't be the first time The Expanse was saved in the midst of an uncertain future. The first three seasons of The Expanse aired on Syfy before the channel canceled it unceremoniously. However, Amazon quickly scooped up the series, picking it up for a fourth and fifth season. It was then renewed for a sixth season to provide the show with a proper sendoff.
More than one year after its finale, there has been enough persisting fan interest to justify production for a graphic novel continuation. It's easy to see why as the series was praised as one of the best modern sci-fi shows in recent memory, in large part thanks to its smart writing and talented cast. That's without even considering the critical acclaim for the original Expanse books, which no doubt found a new audience with those who discovered the show first. The Expanse's new graphic novels have an opportunity to find a similar new audience.
It's clear that the story at the center of The Expanse resonates strongly with audiences in multiple mediums. With comics being the latest, there's an opportunity to go to even bigger places than where the show went. Anything in live-action can often be limited by what's feasible and possible to do in real life with practical effects, but comics are only limited by imagination. The comics not only have a chance to give audience's an even better ending but bigger, better visuals overall. Stay tuned for future updates regarding the Kickstarter campaign for The Expanse: Dragon Tooth.
Source: Kickstarter