Ant-Man Actor to Write New Comic Series

David Dastmalchian, the character actor who has had roles in The Dark Knight and Ant-Man, will try his hand at writing his own comics with Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter. The series, which he created with Witch Doctor artist Lukas Ketner, will be released through Dark Horse Comics. Per THR, who first announced the series this weekend, it takes place in 1983 and centers on Jerri Bartman, a once-rising TV journalist who moves back to her home town in the midwest when her career hits a snag after struggles with alcoholism. She hosts the nightly Creature Feature, but soon learns her job comes with hidden duties: hunting monsters. Count Crowley, her missing predecessor, was one of the last of the appointed monster hunters in the world. Monsters are actually real, and are trying to control the world's news and information.

Best known as a character actor, Dastmalchian nevertheless has some screenwriting credits to his name, including 2014's Animals, in which he also starred. He wrote last year's All Creatures Here Below, in which he starred alongside Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Who veteran Karen Gillan. Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter will be his first comic book writing work.

"Partnering with Dark Horse Comics has been one of the greatest experiences of my career. Since my childhood passion for comics and the Creature Feature in Kansas City, I have dreamt of conjuring the world of Count Crowley," said Dastmalchian in a statement. "Personal themes of addiction shape my writing and I'm so grateful to present a terrifying tale about confronting dogmatism that's lovingly reverent to classic horror and the power of myth. This may be '80s nostalgia but the importance of re-examining what we think we know is as timeless as ever."

Dastmalchian will also appear in The Suicide Squad from director James Gunn, whose screenplay The Belko Experiment also included a significant role that went to the actor. Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter debuts October 23, and can be preordered from your local comic shop today. You can check out the series' trailer, which stars Dastmalchian, above (also via The Hollywood Reporter).