BOOM! Studios is set to deliver a twist on the classic story of Sleeping Beauty with Briar, and ComicBook.com has your exclusive first look in a brand new preview! The grim fantasy series is helmed by the team of writer Christopher Cantwell (Halt and Catch Fire, Iron Man),artist German Garcia (Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land), and colorist Matheus Lopes (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), and as you can see in the preview, Sleeping Beauty's story follows the original tale until a major twist changes the course of the Kingdom and the character, revealing a Sleeping Beauty story unlike any you've seen before. Briar #1 hits stores this September, and you can check out the full preview starting on the next slide!
In addition to the first preview, you can also check out some of the stunning covers that will accompany Briar #1, including a main cover by German Garcia and variant covers by Yanick Paquette (The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country) and Matheus Lopes, Mirka Andolfo (Red Sonja, Women of Marvel, and Jenny Frison (Wonder Woman).
"I've never gotten a chance to tell a high fantasy story of any kind, but I've always wanted to, ever since I discovered old Robert E. Howard stories. One thing that kept me hesitant was finding a proper way in-something new and different that also celebrates all the sword & sorcery fun seen in the best of the genre," said Cantwell.
"In tandem, as I grow older, the world around us seems less and less stable with so many things falling into crisis. These two things came together in my head in the form of BRIAR... here's someone that remembers the world one way, during a time of sheltered innocence, but has now overslept... and found herself in a place of complete entropic disarray," Cantwell said. "The question is, how will she even survive? And what happens when the plans for the entire rest of your life turn out to be completely meaningless and absurd? Where do you turn to in order to conjure up your own new meaning and purpose?"
The official description for Briar reads "What if Sleeping Beauty never got her happily ever after... and instead had to save herself? Set in a brutal fantasy world that time forgot, this isn't the fairy tale you know!"
Briar #1 will hit comic stores and digital platforms on September 28th.
What do you think of Briar? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!