LINE Webtoon Announces New Stan Lee Series “Backchannel”

Stan Lee is a comics icon and has created some of Marvel’s biggest names, from Spider-Man and Iron Man to the Fantastic Four. Now he’s joined up with LINE Webtoon to create a new world from scratch in a series called Backchannel.

Backchannel is a new series co-developed between LINE Webtoon and Lee’s POW Entertainment, and centers around a high school student named Tom Tanner. Tanner is a uniquely talented engineering prodigy who lives with his father, but he soon finds himself imbued with powers that allow him to hack into electronic devices. When he discovers some elements of his Father’s past, his life starts to change drastically.

The book will be written by Stan Lee and LINE Webtoon Head of Content Tom Akel, with art provided by the talented Andie Tong (Spider-Man, Batman Strikes, TRON).

“I’m elated to bring a different kind of hero to LINE Webtoon with teenage master hacker Tom Tanner. This is a story filled with mystery and adventure of an underdog programming prodigy who will go to the ends of the Earth to save his father – you won’t want to miss it. Excelsior!” said Stan Lee.

The characters that Lee created have always managed to balance absurd amounts of power with relatability, and that seems to be the case for Tanner as well. “Stan Lee is a living legend and it’s an honor that he has created this story exclusively for LINE Webtoon,” said Junkoo Kim, Founder and Head of LINE Webtoon. “Readers will be entranced by this genre blending world that echoes series from Spider-man to Mr. Robot.”

You can read the synopsis of the new series below, which is expected to release sometime in the spring of 2017.

Backchannel centers on the relationship of high school junior Tom Tanner, a comic loving, engineering prodigy, and his father Martin, a widowed police detective. While developing a highly sophisticated AI algorithm, a power awakens within Tom that grants him the ability to mentally hack into any device. While initially using this newfound power for personal gain and petty revenge, he learns of a dark secret from his father’s past that will change him forever.

In need of a moment of escapism, Tom returns to his favorite digital comics. This time though, the comic is disturbingly on point with what Tom has been experiencing. As he continues to read, Tom realizes that there are encrypted messages in the comic from an unknown ally who clearly knows everything Tom has been up to.

When he discovers that hacktivist group Backchannel is aware of his new abilities and reaching out to him for help, Tom is set on a very dangerous path.

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