Riot Games’ next League of Legends comic series moves away from the frigid region of Freljord and into the heart of Demacia. The series is simply titled Lux and focuses on the champion of the same name, a Demacian character who has claim to a prestigious role in the region but hides a dark secret that would see her ostracized at a minimum if it were discovered.
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That setup alone is a compelling enough reason to tell Lux’s story in some form, but with there being 15 champions directly connected to Demacia and 143 champions overall, there are plenty of comic candidates. ComicBook.com spoke to Riot’s head of creative development Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street and senior narrative writer John O’Bryan about the new Lux series, and one of the questions we asked was why Lux was chosen for the sophomore comic series from Riot and Marvel.
Street said there were multiple reasons for picking Lux, but the first is obvious to any player who sees how many skins she has: she’s popular.
“She’s a very popular League character,” Street said. “Even people who aren’t Lux mains have probably seen her in a game, maybe they’ve even played her. She’s pretty well known. She’s got some iconic powers within the game. She kind of resonates across lots of our regions, she’s popular around the world.”
Aside from Lux just being a popular character, Street said the inner and outer conflicts she deals with also make her a compelling protagonist. Demacia’s aversion to magic means she must hide her powers to protect herself and her relationship with Garen and others. The release of Sylas and his narratives added another layer to the problem as a champion who, like Lux, experiences conflict thanks to his power. Sylas is League’s newest champion and a character who’s been imprisoned in Demacia because of his magic, and as League players familiar with the lore will know, his story is intertwined with Lux’s.
“Is there a chance that she joins Sylas and becomes a rebel against society?” Street theorized. “And how does that all play out in her relationship with her brother? Does he accept her or reject her and is there conflict there?”
Street said he’s sure a story could be told about Jarvan IV or Garen as well, but Lux’s conflict — which contrasts with her happy, positive exterior — set the stage for a promising story.
Lux’s conflicts are rooted in Demacia though, a region that isn’t as just and pristine as one might think it is when compared to other regions like Zaun or Noxus. O’Bryan, Riot’s senior narrative writer who’s worked on several Demacian champions and wrote the Lux comics, explained why Demacia makes for a prime setting.
“The pros of Demacia, or the good aspect of it, is that you probably aren’t going to starve in Demacia,” O’Bryan said. “You’re probably going to be pretty safe. The bad thing is that you have to fall in line and there’s a certain degree of uniformity that they expect. They sort of expect everyone to contribute to the greater good of the kingdom whereas Noxus is more of a meritocracy. If you’re a weaker person, Demacia might be a better place for you.”
Lux #1 is scheduled to be released by Riot Games and Marvel on May 8th.
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