The Wolfman as Thomas Jane unveils his new horror comic, The Lycan. In addition to starring in 2004’s The Punisher feature film, Jane is a lifetime comics fan, and has written and edited them as well. The Lycan, Jane’s latest book, holds a lot of promise: a historical horror story pitting big game hunters against murderous beasts, set in the backdrop of the British Isles.

IGN unveiled a first look at The Lycan. The book will be scripted by Mike Carey, from a story by Jane and Logan screenwriter David James Kelly. Diego Yapur will be drawing the book. The series will first be published online as Comixology Originals, with a print edition coming later from Ablaze. The solicitation for The Lycan # reads as follows:

Year of Our Lord 1777: A hardened band of international big game hunters returning from Africa are shipwrecked off a small British island.

In exchange for new supplies and the repairing of their good ship The Calydonian, Lord Ludgate engages the men for a task they are particularly well suited for: find the Berserking Beasts that have been eating his subjects, including a group of young Benedictine Nuns, and destroy them.

The publishers also provided IGN with preview pages, shared below, showing off Yapur’s art.

Thomas Jane is So Much More Than the Punisher

Thomas Jane Has Extensive Experience in the Horror Genre

Thomas Jane as the Punisher holding an assault rifle in The Punisher (2004)

While The Punisher may be the role most fans identify Thomas Jane with, he in fact has extensive acting experience in other genres–all in addition to being a writer and musician. Prior to The Punisher, Jane starred in films such as Face/Off, Boogie Nights and Deep Blue Sea. Thomas Jane also has been behind several other comic book series in his day, including Bad Planet, which saw him collaborate with horror comic icons Steve Niles and Bruce Jones. Jane’s other comic book credits include editing Dark Country.

Bad Planet and Dark Country have given Thomas Jane serious cred within the horror comics community, and his work with NIles and Jones only strengthened this connection. The preview pages provided to IGN, while not showing the Berserking Beasts central to The Lycan’s story, nevertheless build a sense of dread. The big game hunters are caught in a terrible storm–never a good omen in horror fiction. Fans know they will soon run ashore, and be confronted by something so evil and terrifying that it will shake them to their cores.

Thomas Jane Picked the Perfect Time to Release The Lycan

The Wolfman 2010 The Wolf Man 1941

Horror comics are currently experiencing something of a renaissance at the moment, and The Lycan is sure to take its place alongside other books propelling the movement.

Horror comics are currently experiencing something of a renaissance at the moment, and The Lycan is sure to take its place alongside other books propelling the movement. Werewolves are also having a moment in pop culture, thanks to movies such as the recent Wolfman remake. Werewolves are staples of horror and folklore, and exert a powerful hold on audiences and readers, one likely to never go away. Punisher star Thomas Jane has starred in enough horror pictures to understand what makes them work, and he will bring these skills to bear on The Lycan.

The Lycan #1 is on sale February 18 from Comixology Originals!

Source: IGN