Legendary Entertainment's comic book division has announced two new Pacific Rim comics coming down the pipeline: Pacific Rim: Blackout and Pacific Rim: Ultimate Omnibus.

First and foremost, Pacific Rim: Blackout is an original graphic novel by writer Cavan Scott and artist Nelson Dániel. Blackout serves as a prequel to the Netflix anime series Pacific Rim: The Black, which is itself based on director/producer Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim films. The graphic novel is currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter and is set for release in January 2022.

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Blackout focuses on the fan-favorite PPDC Ranger Herc Hansen, who returns as a "world-weary jaeger pilot dragged into battle as an influx of kaiju threatens to destroy the Australian continent and all its inhabitants. Along with his niece Olivia, his copilot Cooper and Marshal Rask, Herc faces brand-new kaiju of epic proportions while battling his own inner demons."

Meanwhile, Legendary Comics has also announced Pacific Rim: Ultimate Omnibus, which collects the New York Times best-selling title Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero, as well as Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift, Pacific Rim: Aftermath, Pacific Rim: Amara and even the aforementioned Pacific Rim: Blackout.

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"The Pacific Rim universe is so rich with opportunities to tell all-new captivating stories, and we are thrilled to bring a new prequel adventure based on the popular Netflix anime series to fans," said Legendary Comics Senior Vice President Robert Napton. "Showrunners Greg Johnson and Craig Kyle created such a strikingly beautiful and hauntingly dangerous story featured in the anime series, and I couldn't think of a better creative team than Cavan and Nelson to capture this vivid storytelling and visual style to bring to the page. We are also thrilled to offer fans of the franchise a new collection that allows them to revisit past adventures."

"Working with Cavan and Nelson to bring this Pacific Rim story to life has been so much fun," added Legendary Comics Senior Editor Nikita Kannekanti. "Cavan does such a great job balancing the action with the emotional character moments, and Nelson's art is so full of energy in every single panel. I hope fans enjoy Herc's story and learning more about what happened before the Black!"

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Scott himself chimed in, noting that it's been "an absolute joy to return to the world of Pacific Rim for this original graphic novel and to also provide a link between the original movie and the fantastic anime series."

Scott also says that Herc's story "really resonates with [him]," describing the character as "a man who has seen the world change and his friends fall away as the monsters keep on coming. But he never gives in, never lets events he cannot control defeat him. The monsters we see Herc facing in his personal life are just as destructive as the kaiju that are razing cities across Australia. As always, Pacific Rim is just as much a story about people caught in extraordinary times as it is a spectacle of monsters vs. mechs. That's not to say that Blackout doesn't feature killer kaiju fight scenes. Nelson has done an incredible job balancing cataclysmic events with heartfelt personal moments. I hope Pacific Rim fans young and old enjoy these final moments before Australia becomes the Black."

"The Pacific Rim universe was something I wanted to draw, the Jaegers and Kaijus and the whole game of proportions is something I really enjoyed doing," added Dániel. “I don't know how many buildings I draw and how many destroyed, but they are never enough when it comes to epic battles. I hope the fans enjoy it as much as I do when I'm drawing it."

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Source: Legendary Comics