When an icon dies, they always leave a hole behind. But thankfully their work can continue to inspire us. And this is exactly the case with David Bowie. Although the rock star is no longer with us, his music and other projects remain in the heart and minds of his fans. Those who love Bowie can now look forward to something new: a graphic novel adaptation of Bowie’s 1976 cult movie, The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Titan Comics will publish this “all-new, fully-authorized graphic novel adaptation.” And, of course, it will star David Bowie. A release shares:
The story follows an extra-terrestrial called Thomas Jerome Newton (played in the movie by David Bowie) who lands on Earth in search of water to save his dying home planet. Using his advanced scientific knowledge, Thomas becomes incredibly rich thanks to dozens of inventions his company releases. He uses his wealth to search for a way to transport water back to his home planet, but as his wealth and his fame grows, Thomas becomes a target of interest to the U.S. Government who begin to investigate him.Now Titan Comics will bring a brand-new visual interpretation to the graphic novel medium, adapted by comic book writer Dan Watters (The Shadow, Assassin’s Creed, Lucifer, Cowboy Bebop) and illustrated artist Dev Pramanik (Paradiso, Firefly, Dune: House Atreides).
We also have our first look at some of the gorgeous unlettered interior art. It looks like The Man Who Fell to Earth will be an evocative and emotional graphic novel. As befitting of Bowie, of course.
Author Dan Watters adds, “The Man Who Fell to Earth is a masterpiece of a film with an awful lot to say; about men, about the Earth, and lots of things in between. There are ideas in the film, about climate crises and corporate greed, that are more relevant now than they were when Nicolas Roeg set out to make it. And now here we are. I think it’s high time to look at the world through Thomas Newton’s mismatched eyes all over again. Perhaps he’ll see something we’ve been missing.”
It is often through pop culture that we parse important ideas about our life. And that is certainly part of David Bowie’s legacy. It feels beautiful to see him honored in this way.
The Man Who Fell to Earth‘s graphic novel adaptation is available for pre-order through Amazon and Forbidden Planet. Bowie’s graphic novel will release in fall of 2022.
