EXCLUSIVE: The Handmaid’s Tale co-executive producer and television writer J. Holtham is writing a post-apocalyptic graphic novel for Los Angeles publishing house Gungnir.
The black bleeding will tell the story of a family’s perilous journey west to save their son a decade after colossal monsters began ravaging American cities. Gungnir, directed by Matthew Medney, is expected to release in 2027.
The book’s design will be Daz Tibbles, Who Counts Final Space: The Final Chapter among his work, with Steve Orlando overseeing the project as editor-in-chief.
They bleed black follows the Abraham family ten years after colossal monsters known as mega-predators – or “Preds” – began ravaging the world, with humanity’s last line of defense a fleet of hulking robots designed to fight the beasts. When the Preds devastate Detroit, the Abrahams defeat the attackers by climbing into a nearly completed robot. Amid the chaos, they discover a fragmented warning from Tep, one of Abraham’s sons – now trained at a Knight facility in Colorado – suggesting that he and the other recruits are in grave danger. As the family discovers something strange in the Preds’ black blood, they decide to leave the ruins of Detroit and embark on a perilous journey west to save their son.
Writer Holtham is an Emmy Award-winning playwright and television writer on Hulu. Servant’s Speech among his executive credits. He has written on shows such as Netflix’s Marvel series. Jessica Jonesfree form Cloak and daggerD.C. Supergirl and that of Fox Not. He has also written for Marvel Comics, with work ranging from Infinity Comics to the comic book series. Bishop And Night Thrasher.
“We are thrilled to welcome J. Holtham — a creative force whose voice refuses to play by the rules — to the Gungnir creative family,” said Medney, Founder and Publisher of Gungnir. “J’s storytelling not only delivers what fans want, it exceeds expectations, and we can’t wait to launch this collaboration on the page.”
“I’ve wanted to tell this story for years,” Holtham added. “It’s the kind of punk rock/hip-hop/sci-fi mash-up that I love. The story of a black family holding it together, in the face of literal monsters, is the story I feel like I was born to tell. This one is for my family, for black kids in anime, for everyone who’s ever wanted to fight the powers that be. I can’t imagine a better home than Gungnir for that.”
