Fans of Battlestar Galactica are getting quite a treat, as Dynamite has announced that #1 New York Times bestselling author Tony Lee will be writing an origin story for Starbuck, based on the original NBC series from 1978.
Cosmicbooknews is reporting that the story will span a 4 issue mini-series, highlighting the early adventures of everyone’s favourite rogue, Lt. Starbuck.
“I’ve always liked the scoundrels,” says Lee. “Han Solo and Starbuck taught me a lot about life between them, so I probably owe a whole load of broken relationships and split lips during my teen years to them both.”
Battlestar Galatica: Starbuck will be the first publication in the franchise’s history to delve deeply into Starbuck’s background.
Lee continues, “When Dynamite came to me with a suggestion to do a Starbuck story, I jumped at the opportunity. Bar the fact that he was an amnesiac child after the attack on Umbra, we don’t know much about Starbuck’s history, mainly because we only had thirteen episodes (and a flashback Galactica 1980 special) to learn about him. I wanted to fill in these gaps. I wanted to see the Starbuck that existed before the show. How did he meet Apollo? Why does Adama treat him like a surrogate son? Who taught him to smoke and gamble and womanize? What shaped the man we know, and more importantly, why did the Cylons attack Umbra that fateful day? That right there was when I knew the story I wanted to tell.”
Lee brings quite an extensive resume to Dynamite‘s iteration of the classic franchise. He has worked for companies such as IDW, Marvel, and DC Comics on such big titles as Star Trek, Superboy, Spider-Man, and X-men. Additionally, he received the Eagle Award for Favourite Single Issue for his work on IDW‘s Dr. Who #12.
“I have the utmost respect for Tony Lee as a writer, and can’t wait to see the thrills of his Starbuck script take form on a comics page.” says Nick Barrucci, CEO and publisher of Dynamite. “Bringing Tony aboard the good spaceship Battlestar is a pleasure because the story’s in good hands, and the fact that he’s also a great self-promoter will help the series receive even more awareness! This is a man who will beat the drum ceaselessly and draw readers to the project.”
Dynamite’s 2013 relaunch of Battlestar Galactica (written by Guardians of the Galaxy architects Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning) has sparked renewed interest in the franchise. Thus far, the ongoing title, based in the same universe as the classic 1978 series, is one of Dynamite‘s best-selling monthlys and has become a fast favourite of the company’s readership. Look for more Battlestar Galactica from Dynamite in the near future.
