Andy Serkis to Launch Myth-Inspired Comic ‘Eternus’

The series, co-created with director Andrew Levitas, arrives in 2022.

Andy Serkis is having a big week in the comic book space. His new directorial effort, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, hits Friday, and now he’s announcing another dive into the comic book world, this time as the co-creator of a new series released by Scout Comics and financed by Thunder Comics.

The seven-issue Eternus, co-created with director Andrew Levitas, is inspired by myth and takes place in 360 AD, 30 years after the murder of Zeus in his own temples. Zeus’ son, Heracles, is now a depressed drunk, while the old gods struggle to stay alive after decades of Christian disruption. When Athena’s Temple is sacked by a mysterious Centurion in search of a relic once belonging to Zeus, the old gods are convinced this is Zeus’ killer. Now Heracles must sober up and protect the only witness to identify the killer.

Eternus is an expression of our fascination with foundational mythology and deeply rooted storytelling,” Serkis said in a statement. “It’s exciting to share this first glimpse into the world we have been building for so long. This is just the beginning.”

Knightfall scribe Don Handfield is writing with Anastajza K Davis. Art hails from penciler Karl Moline, inker Andy Owens and letter Dave Lanphear. Rob Prior will paint the main covers. Scout Comics will distribute Eternus. A limited-edition ashcan available at the publisher’s at New York Comic Con next week, where cover Prior will be doing a signing.

Eternus is due out in 2022 and is the first book financed by Thunder Comics, which seeks to team up talent from film and TV with comic book creators. Thunder was founded earlier this year by Motor Content’s Don Handfield and Armory Films’ Tim Zajaros and Chris LeMole, with the slate of comics financed in partnership with producers Ashley Coleman and Rafael Chavez of Chavez Brothers.

“When Covid hit and the film and TV production ground to a halt, I was still in full production mode on four comic book series, including my comic series The Dark Age with my good friends and frequent collaborators Tim Zajaros and Chris LeMole at Armory Films,” said Handfield. “We decided to create a platform and a pipeline for creators and filmmakers to not only keep producing pandemic-proof content, but also as a way for creators to maximize both their ownership and creative control over their original ideas.”

“We started Thunder to bridge the gap between top-level creatives and the comic industry. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have our first title with the incredible talents of Andy Serkis and Andrew Levitas.” said Zajaros and Lemole in a joint statement.