Return to the Rocinante with The Expanse: Dragon Tooth
Fans of Amazon’s The Expanse — which is still my favorite sci-fi TV series in recent memory — were no doubt disappointed by the sixth and final season’s rather truncated nature. And it’s a safe bet that many of them were immediately clamoring for a seventh season, especially since the series’ biggest storyline (i.e., the mystery of the ring entities) was left unresolved.
However, those who read the Expanse novels — which, by the way, are uniformly excellent — knew that was easier said than done. Each season of The Expanse adapted a single novel in the series, with season six following the events of 2016’s Babylon’s Ashes. However, there’s a gap of twenty-eight years between the events of Babylon’s Ashes and the series’ seventh novel, 2017’s Persepolis Rising. Dealing with such a gap would’ve presented several challenges for the TV series, not the least of which would be depicting the characters’ older ages. (Not to mention — spoiler alert — the TV series killing off Alex Kamal after Cas Anvar was accused of sexual harassment and assault.)
The events of that twenty-eight year gap have remained largely unexplored… until now, that is. Earlier this month, BOOM! Studios (Black Badge, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Irredeemable, Something Is Killing the Children) announced a Kickstarter campaign for The Expanse: Dragon Tooth, an upcoming comic series that reveals what Holden, Naomi, and the rest of the Rocinante crew were up to during those in-between years.
Developed alongside James S.A. Corey and TV studio Alcon Television Group, superstar writer Andy Diggle (The Losers, Green Arrow: Year One) and rising star artist Rubine (Voltron: Legendary Defender) will tie together the threads of the show and answering lingering questions that will bring readers and viewers alike far beyond the stellar horizon in this monumental 12-issue comic book maxi-series.
Now, viewers of The Expanse television show will be able to continue the story with your fan favorite characters alongside readers of The Expanse novels who will finally find out what happened during the nearly 30 year gap between Babylon’s Ashes and Persepolis Rising. Discover the missing adventures of the crew of the Rocinante — James Holden, Naomi Nagata, Amos Burton, Bobbie Draper, and Clarissa Mao — along with the journeys of other beloved characters including Chrisjen Avasarala and Camina Drummer and the ebbs and flows of the Inners, Belters, OPA, and Transport Union… all leading to the rise of the Laconian Empire! And it all begins with the Roci responding to a SOS signal, and the emergence of a new pirate faction…
The campaign — which blew past its original $25,000 goal and currently sits at over $655,000 (with 26 days left) — features numerous tiers, including several limited edition box sets if you’ve got the funds. Fans on a tighter budget can pick between several different editions of the series as well as add-ons like collector coins and copies of other Expanse comics like 2018’s The Expanse: Origins.
The first wave of The Expanse: Dragon Tooth is currently scheduled to ship in December 2023, with the second and third waves shipping throughout 2024. (Given the current state of global shipping, however, those dates should probably be held loosely — which is not a criticism of BOOM! Studios). The Expanse: Dragon Tooth Kickstarter campaign ends on March 9, beltalowda, but don’t wait too long to sign up before you miss out on the Roci’s further adventures. To pochuye ke?