‘Briar’ from BOOM! Studios Promises a Post-Apocalyptic Retelling of Sleeping Beauty

BOOM! Studios have just announced details of BRIAR, a brand-new four-part dark fantasy series from Eisner Award-nominated writer, producer, and director Christopher Cantwell, artist Germán García and colourist Matheus Lopes, set to go on sale this September.

What if Sleeping Beauty never got her happily ever after… and instead had to save herself? Set in a brutal fantasy world that time forgot, this isn’t the fairy tale you know!

Speaking about the series, Cantwell said “I’ve never gotten a chance to tell a high fantasy story of any kind, but I’ve always wanted to, ever since I discovered old Robert E. Howard stories. One thing that kept me hesitant was finding a proper way in—something new and different that also celebrates all the sword & sorcery fun seen in the best of the genre. In tandem, as I grow older, the world around us seems less and less stable with so many things falling into crisis.”

He continued, adding “These two things came together in my head in the form of BRIAR… here’s someone that remembers the world one way, during a time of sheltered innocence, but has now overslept… and found herself in a place of complete entropic disarray. The question is, how will she even survive? And what happens when the plans for the entire rest of your life turn out to be completely meaningless and absurd? Where do you turn to in order to conjure up your own new meaning and purpose?”

García added “I’m delighted to be telling this story with Christopher. I love a good fantasy tale where I’m not constricted by boring details like reality, especially when we’ve got a main character with very intense but relatable motivations to fuel her through this strange new land. Can’t wait for you all to step into the world of BRIAR!”

Featuring a main cover by series artist García, and variant cover art by superstar artists Yanick Paquette (with colors by Lopes) and Mirka Andolfo (with colours by Jenny Frison), BRIAR #1 hits shelves and digital platforms this September.