A portal, millions of barbarians and dragons trigger chaos in Mark Millar’s new job
A dream born from a refusal
The story could not be more millionaire: a Mass blackout In the large cities of the United States, followed by the appearance of A Gigantic portal So infinite hordes of barbarians, dragons, ogros and giants sow destruction. A premise that mixes the apocalyptic with the fantastic, something like a game of Thrones melted with independence Daybut brought to the field of unleashed action comic that characterizes Millar.
The fun thing is that this story does not present itself now, but from the author’s youth. At thirteen, Millar sent two proposals to DC Comics: a superman envelope and one completely original. Both were rejected with a five -page letter that he proudly maintains to date. From that teenage draft the seed was born from what he would become later Conquered.
That anecdote, far from ringing, shows how a refusal can be transformed into creative petrol. Millar assures that he has never forgotten that initial idea and that he has matured over the years until he became one of his most ambitious proposals. Now, with the experience of successes such as Kick ass or KingsmanHe gives him a definitive form accompanied by a high cartoonist.
El Art Implacable de Valerio Giangiordano
For this new adventure, Millar has ally Valerio GiangiordanoItalian artist known for his spectacular work in Nemesis y Spawn. His style, full of drama and visual strength, seems perfect to represent dragons in flight, barbaric armies and monstrous creatures that occupy entire pages.
Millar did not hesitate to say that it is “Best art I saw in a comic“, What gives an idea of the level of trust that deposits in its collaborator. The synergy between script and drawing tries to convert Conquered In a real printed success, with scenes designed for word readers without words.
A crowdfunding with epic rewards
The project will be launched in a campaign of Kickstarter four weeks, in which fan They can access different reward levels. From the specimens signed by the exclusive editions, Millar promises that there will be surprises for those who are engaged in their work from the beginning.
This strategy is not accidental: beyond the loan, what you are looking for is Involve readers in the construction of the project. The independent comic has always had that component of the community and Millar wants to return that feeling of closeness in a sector increasingly marked by millionaire agreements with platforms.
Independence in front of the Netflix empire
Although his name is strictly connected to Netflix after the purchase of Millarworld in 2017, Millar clarified this Conquered is his only exception Apart from the company. The rest of his time occupies it in projects already announced, such as the adaptation of King of the spiesThe next premiere of Sam psychic And a science fiction film in collaboration with Matthew Vaughn.
This creative parenthesis does not break with Netflix, but gives him a personal respite. A sort of “professional whim” that allows you to return to the origin: to write a comic designed exclusively for paper, without being conditioned by a future audiovisual adaptation. A return to the roots that many readers applaud.
The promise of a four -volume saga
Conquered will not be an isolated miniseries. From the beginning, we offer Millar and Giangiordano Four volumes This expands this universe full of fantastic creatures and urban chaos. The first volume will present, but the ambition is to collect an epic story continuously, a universe that combines the brutality of fantasy with the rough of the modern world.
This approach remembers what Millar did with Sought after or Kick ass: Ideas that started as risky proposals and ended up generating lasting franchise. Here, however, there is a key difference: There is no producer behind, only the direct trust of readers.
What to expect from Millar’s future?
The author himself recognizes that after this experiment he will return to his usual commitments. The agenda is narrow and Netflix requires continuity, but Conquered He could mark a precedent for future projects that try to maintain that independent spark that marked him in his beginnings.
In any case, what is clear is that Millar has not lost the pleasure of surprising and risking. Among the irreverent superheroes, retired spies and dragons that cross the portals, the Scottish screenwriter continues to remind us because he is one of the most important names of contemporary comics.
