George RR Martin will team up with Marvel to produce a new series of Wild Cards comics, Martin announced on his blog.

The Game Of Thrones writer wrote: “Fans may already know the ‘Wild Cards’ World holds a special place in my heart,” “So to have the privilege of announcing that an industry titan like Marvel is going to produce the narrative from the beginning as a comic book brings me no end of joy.”

George RR Martin is a life long comic fan and can quote from issues of Marvel comics. In 2014 he told the BBC “Maybe Stan Lee is the greatest literary influence on me, even more than Shakespeare or Tolkien.”

The comics will be based on the superhero anthology series of the same name, which was masterminded and edited by Martin. The series include stories by Harold Waldrop, Roger Zelazny, Melinda M. Snodgrass, William Wu, Chris Claremont, and Martin himself.

Wild Cards tells the story of an alternate history where Earth is home to super-powered individuals and spans more than 25 novels and 20 short stories. The series of books predates Game of Thrones by a decade and boasts a universe as diverse as Westeros, with a huge saga for adapting.

Set largely during an alternate history of post-World War II United States, the series follows humans who contracted the Wild Card virus, an alien virus that rewrites DNA and mutates survivors. Those who acquire crippling and/or repulsive physical conditions are known as Jokers, while those who acquire superhuman abilities are known as Aces, and those few who acquire minor, insignificant powers not worthy of being called aces are known as Deuces.

It was written by more than 40 authors over three decades, and the limited series, Wild Cards: Drawing Of The Cards, will arrive later this year. Comics author Paul Cornell (Doctor Who) said: “Wild Cards is still a unique take on super heroes, a creation story that’s influenced everything since, but still maintains its power.” Martin calls this unique collaboration a “mosaic novel.”

The art is by Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool, Wonder Woman)

This partly coincides with the upcoming Wild Cards streaming series in development on Peacock.

Wild Cards has been previously adapted into comics in 1990 and 2008 for Marvel, and naturally role-playing games – indeed, the whole concept grew out of superhero RPG sessions played by Martin and Snodgrass – but will it work as a TV series?

It seems difficult to see how it could fail. It has the benefit of a fanbase that’s been growing for 30 years, and superheroes are more popular than ever. And it already has worked as a comic.

WILD CARDS: THE DRAWING OF CARDS #1 (OF 4) Comic
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by MIKE HAWTHORNE
Cover by STEVE MORRIS

On Sale June 1.

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