Read All About It – New DC Comics Series to Feature Epic’s ‘Gears’

Cary, N.C. — “Gears of War,” the multimillion-copy seller from Epic Games, will soon be coming to newsstands.

DC Comics plans to publish a comic-book series based on the man versus locust horde title this fall. The series will be launched under the company's WildStorm imprint. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Asked if any other comics publishers bid for the "Gears" rights, an Epic spokeserson declined to answer. "Can't comment on private negotiations," she said.

Epic is developing a sequel to "Gears." The game is scheduled for release in November for the Xbox 360 platform.

“Big guns and monsters — what a perfect comic book for WildStorm,” said WildStorm general Manager Hank Kanalz. “We have an opportunity to work closely with Epic to add to the canon of the 'Gears of War' mythos, so you can imagine how excited we all are.

“Epic sets the bar very high, in graphics, story, and game play — and expect no less from our series, starting with our lead-in arc that fills in the gaps between the first game and the upcoming sequel,” he added.

The original "Gears," released in November of 2006, has sold more than 4.5 million copies.

"Gears" is rapidly turning into an entertainment franchise for Epic, which is privately held and based in Cary. A series of books is being negotiated. Movie rights are owned by Peter Jackson, the director of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. A toy company is creating action figures.

“A lot of our developers are huge comic fans and have loved the personas and chronicles unique to DC Comics since childhood,” said Michael Capps, Epic’s president. “The 'Gears of War' storyline and characters that millions of gamers have come to cherish will be a perfect fit under the WildStorm imprint.”

NECA, the company producing the action figures, plans to release the first batch of human and locust characters in "a few weeks," according to its Web site.