The most successful sci-fi anthology in Kickstarter’s history is heading to comic stores, and we’ve got your exclusive first look! Horrible Future and Magnetic Press will soon release their sci-fi anthology series Black Box Chronicles, which features 15 intertwining stories in one epic shared universe written by Mark Schey and Chris Northrop. The volume will also feature artwork from an all-star team of artists that includes David Mack, Eryk Donovan, Michael Avon Oeming, and more. Over the course of 172 pages, readers will discover mankind’s first steps into interstellar space as they look to escape the corporate-controlled A.I. that has overtaken them.
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Accompanying the Black Box Chronicles will be Black Box: Design Space, a hardcover collection that features schematic drawings and paintings of the spaceships and technology found in the world of Black Box Chronicles. This will be illustrated by Shane Molina, and will feature a spotUV foil cover. You can find a preview for the Black Box Chronicles story To Error Is Human on the next slide, which introduces fans to a test pilot named Asif Zakir and an arrogant A.I. engineer
“This story, called To Error Is Human, introduces readers to the overall themes of Black Box Chronicles. It sets the tone for the world where we see hints of the ongoing conflict between corporate-controlled AI and oppressed humans,” Schey said. “Chronologically, it’s early in the Great Outward Expansion when everyday humans are able to explore the universe. Brilliantly illustrated by Eryk Donovan, it sets the stage for a battle of wits between an arrogant AI-powered engineer and a hopeful black box test pilot. Originally, we considered including this information in an opening crawl, like Blade Runner, but we felt it worked better throwing the reader into the world as a standalone story.”
Black Box Chronicles will feature artwork by David Mack (Daredevil, Kabuki), Michael Avon Oeming (Powers, Bulletproof Monk), Zach Howard (Hellboy, Wild Blue Yonder), Eryk Donovan (Memetic, Quantum Teens are Go), Marco Fodera (Nathan Never), Gavin Smith (Star Trek: Mirrorverse), Toru Terada (Small World), David Messina (Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca, 3Keys), Giovanni Rigano (Global, Artemis Fowl), Drew Moss (The Crow, Red Sonja), Christian Dibari (Revolvers, Providence of Madness), Taki Soma (Sleeping While Standing, Bitch Planet), Mario Alberti (Spider-man and the Fantastic Four, The Wall), Sarah Baslaim, Flavio Dispenza, K. Michael Russel, and M. Sean McManus. You can find the official description for Black Box Chronicles below.
“A sci-fi anthology chronicling mankind’s first steps into interstellar space, as pieced together from the records recovered from the wreckage of various spacecraft found throughout the cosmos. A bold series of tales by a luminous collection of comics’ greatest creators spanning centuries of a fantastic yet plausible future.”
Black Box Chronicles will hit comic stores on November 5th, while Black Box: Design Space will hit stores on November 15th.
Main Cover By Shane Molina
Design Space Cover By Shane Molina
The A.I. Takeover
Corner Cases
New World Confrontations
