Dark Horse to Publish Mystery Science Theater 3000 Comics

Dark Horse Comics has entered into a licensing deal with Best Brains Productions that will include merchandise and tie-in materials for the revival of the cult-classic TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Netflix — including a comic book set in the world of the show.

“I first encountered the show in 1992, and immediately fell in love with both the concept and the characters,” said Dark Horse’s VP of publishing, Randy Stradley in a statement. “I began inquiring about the license in 1993, and now—a mere twenty-four years later—we have Comics Sign!”

There’s no indication just how the comic book will work: will it be a straight adaptation of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes, so that at least hardcore fans can hear the voices in their heads? Will it be set exclusively between movie viewings, following the adventures of the Mads, their test subjects and the Bots?

One intriguing prospect would seem to be Dark Horse taking either old, public domain comics or maybe their own titles and applying the Mystery Science Theater 3000 approach — the subject and his bots silhouetted at the bottom, making comments — to a comic book itself. Of course, whereas in movies the two audio tracks can coexist fairly seamlessly, there might be some problems with the lettering in a comic book version.

For those who have been stuck on an orbiting satellite for a quarter of a century and don’t know, Mystery Science Theater 3000 follows the motley crew of a human host and his two robot sidekicks aboard the Satellite of Love. The hapless host, trapped by mad scientists on a satellite in space, is forced to watch some of the most outrageously unfortunate B movies ever created. To keep sane, he’s built two robot sidekicks, and together they do a running commentary on the films, affectionately mocking their flaws with inspired wisecracks and acting as a demented movie theater peanut gallery.

After years of rumors that the show could come back in some form, last year co-creator Joel Hodgson started the MST3K Revival Kickstarter, which earned over $6 million allotted for new episodes and other licensed merchandise. Dark Horse is one of a number of licensees to sign on for the MST3K consumer products program.

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An announcement on release dates for the Netflix series is expected soon. Merchandise and the comic will likely start to be solicited around that time.