Groundbreaking sci-fi-horror TV seriesThe Twilight Zoneis getting a highly-anticipated comic book revival courtesy of IDW Publishing, and it has been officially revealed that the upcoming anthology series will be illustrated in black-and-white, in a throwback to the late 1950s/early 1960s origins of the classic Rod Serling show.
As revealed in an exclusive by Entertainment Weekly,The Twilight Zone#1 will hit shelves this fall, featuring the story “Blanks,” written by Dan Watters, with art by Morgan Beem.
The issue promises a spooky story that evokes the familiar tenor ofan original-eraTwilight Zoneepisode; beyond that, more is yet to be revealed about the rest of the series, other than that it is slated to run for five issues, with more coming depending on the success of these initial stories.
IDW Publishing Announces New Twilight Zone Anthology Comic, Coming This Fall
The Twilight Zone#1 “Blanks,” Written By Dan Watters; Art By Morgan Beem
Rod Serling’sThe Twilight Zonepremiered in 1959, running for 156 episodes until its conclusion in 1964, and few media franchises were more directly responsible for introducing sci-fi and horror concepts into the mainstream American consciousness in the history of the 20th century. The series is still a monolith of popular culture, having been revived on TV in the ’80s, the aughts, and most recently in 2019;now,The Twilight Zoneis going back to its roots, as IDW’s upcoming limited series harkens back to Serling’s original vision for the series.
Dan Watters, author of the new anthology’s debut issue, spoke to the responsibility of carrying onTheTwilight Zone’slegacy, telling EW:
The Twilight Zoneis a genre unto itself. It’s a cultural titan and a North Star in the strangest skies revealing what science fiction, fantasy and horror can do for us: revealing uncomfortable truths about what lies in our own hearts. This is precisely the vein we hope to tap with our story; the unsettled space between angry and unnerving that is forever the purview ofThe Twilight Zone.
In other words, Watters “gets it,” and can be expected to deliver a satisfying return to the kind of storiesThe Twilight Zonewas able to tell best. In aiming for that “unsettled space,” Watters can be trusted to capture the vibe of a classicTwilight Zonetale, while from the preview images for the first issue alone, it seems clear artist Morgan Beem has tapped into the aesthetic that made the series so notable in its heyday.
The New Twilight Zone Comic Draws Inspiration From The Best Aspects Of The Original TV Show
Capturing The Vibe And Aesthetic Of Rod Serling’s Series
As Morgan Beem said of “Blanks,” her and Dan Watters’Twilight Zonestory:
I have long been a fan of all horror, but creepy stories that slowly build to unnerve you have always been first in my heart. Few series have captured that feeling likeThe Twilight Zone. Like being trapped in a fever dream or moving through a liminal space, the stories play with the feeling of wrongness, of things out of place. This is the feeling Dan has masterfully captured in our story, and which I hope, through my deep love of all things creepy, will flow through the art. It might not shock you, but you may not be able to stop thinking about it in the middle of the night.
In other words, both Watters and Beem have set a high bar with their hype for the issue.Twilight Zonefans know that the delight of the franchisecomes from its ability to tap into the disturbing and dangerous depths of the human psyche, while fashioning a world that is uniquely out of step with one that audiences live in.“Blanks” seems designed to make the most of this quality, and readers should assume subsequent issues will offer more of the same.
Fans should expect more details about the debut issue, and those to follow, to come from IDW Publishing over the summer, as the release of the series draws closer.
Issues #2-5 ofThe Twilight Zonewill feature stories from Tom Sciole, James Stokoe, Nate Powell, and Francesco Francavilla. Fans should expect more details about the debut issue, and those to follow, to come from IDW Publishing over the summer, as the release of the series draws closer. In the meantime, readers can rejoice knowing that newTwilight Zonestories are on the way, and they are deliberately returning to the look and feel thatmade the originalTwilight Zoneiconic.
Source:Entertainment Weekly
Twilight Zone#1, “Blanks"will be available June 11, 2025 from IDW Publishing.
