New sci-fi series Antarctica "takes no prisoners," says creator Simon Birks
Antarctica is a mysterious place - an almost entirely uninhabited mass of ice that's simultaneously one of the driest and coldest places on Earth. It's the perfect location to tell a mystery story and that's exactly what screenwriter Simon Birks and artist Willi Roberts are doing in their new comic.
Antarctica, billed by its publisher, Top Cow Productions, as a cross between Stargate and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials novels, tells the story of Hannah, a young engineer whose life is upended when her father goes missing after a trip to the isolated Smith-Petersen Research Station. After living on the streets for a time, she manages to get a job at the same station and hopes to find out the truth about what happened to her dad. Instead, she finds herself at the heart of a vast conspiracy - one that spans more than just our own world.
Birks says of the new series, "Antarctica takes no prisoners, and I'm excited to share our adventure with the readers. Willi and I have created something exceptional; an incredible experience full of unique twists and turns to keep everyone guessing right up until the end."
Check out the main cover for Antarctica #1 by Willi Roberts, and the alternate cover by Lyndon White, below.
The series started life with a six-page short story published in Top Cow's Stairway Anthology, published back in 2020. Top Cow President Matt Hawkins said of the project, "I loved it then and it was a no-brainer for me to support the creators in developing these multifaceted characters."
For his part, artist Willi Roberts says he had his work cut out with the project, but that the challenge of the material led to a fruitful collaboration. "Because the story is science-fiction, emotional and mature, I had to visualize a reality where both the characters and readers can accept that another world exists. Everything lined up and Simon's scripts inspired my art and my art, his scripts."
You can see the first four pages of the new comic below.
Antarctica #1 is published by Top Cow Productions Inc. on July 12.
