Back in August we revealed the first striking covers for another “Dune” tie-in comic book from Boom! Studios titled “Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas,” and now the award-winning publisher has recently released a five-page preview of the premiere issue’s lettered interior art and it’s a nothing short of brilliant.
This special 40-page one-shot explores and enhances the deep mythology of legendary author Frank Herbert’s 1965 masterwork “Dune.” It’s the ideal way to immerse yourself back in the exotic sci-fi universe after seeing director Denis Villeneuve’s epic new cinematic adaptation, which hit theaters last year. If you missed it, check out our Dune streaming guide to catch up.)
“Dune: A Whisper Of Caladan Seas #1” is written by New York Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by artist Jakub Rebelka (“Origins”) and finished with letters by Ed Dukeshire. The standalone issue released Dec. 29 was organized in a deal with Herbert Properties LLC and Abrams ComicArts, the publisher who delivered the first of a trilogy of graphic novel adaptations of Herbert’s seminal novel last year.
Originally crafted as a poignant short story, “A Whisper of Caladan Seas” was the very first slice of “Dune” fiction Herbert and Anderson penned together. It served the purpose of presenting itself as a creative exercise and exploratory project as they were building the longer narrative arcs for the 1999 “Dune” prequel novel, “Dune: House Atreides.”
This never-told tale from the world of “Dune” begins as the black smoke from the Battle of Arrakeen is still choking the vast sands of Arrakis. A squad of Atreides soldiers becomes trapped in the shield wall after a brutal attack from a piece of ancient Harkonnen artillery. Sgt. Hoh Vitt of the elite Atreides guard must use his family’s effective storytelling skills to mentally teleport his valiant men from their graves to the water-rich home planet of Caladan as a means of comfort and hope.
“The origins of Brian and Kevin’s incredible worldbuilding within the Dune universe starts here with an insightful and touching story that shows a side of this epic sci-fi classic that has never been seen before,” said Boom! Studios editor Jonathan Manning in a Boom! press release.
“Dune: A Whisper Of Caladan Seas #1” just arrived on Dec. 29 and spotlights riveting main cover art from Jeff Dekal (“BRZRKR”) and special variant covers courtesy of Rebelka, Elizabeth Torque (“Venom”) and Christian Ward (“Something is Killing the Children”).
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