Truly one of the best aspects of living in this era of technological wonder, is that there is no limit to how stories can be told. Because if someone has a story that is nagging at them, they can create it via whatever medium they love and share it with the masses with minimal effort. And the big studios and networks are relishing in this freedom as well and using every medium imaginable to provide us with fresh new stories that captivate and titillate, and even the shows we love are taking the time to make use of this freedom to expand their grandiose stories even further.
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Since webisodes and podcasts and even comics can also help to expand a universe and one particular show that is now taking advantage of this as well, is the AMC+ series, Gangs of London. For Lead Series Director Corin Hardy, saw an opportunity to turn to comics to fill in the gap between season one and season two and well… Corin has made that happen. For recently, A Gangs of London Story: Ghosts, a graphic novel that explores a time in Elliot’s life where he actually bothered to listen to the Investors, was released out into the world, and well, you can read that graphic novel right now, right here. Because Corin was nice enough to share a digital copy of the comic with us, so that we can in turn… share it with all of you!

So, with that in mind here is that digital copy of A Gangs of London Story: Ghosts, and some details on the creation of the comic, courtesy of Mister Hardy. But do be warned! This is a comic that reflects the gritty nature of the show and is intended for adults and isn’t suited for younger readers, outside of that… enjoy!

‘GHOSTS is a new graphic novel with story by Corin Hardy, written by Rowan Athale and illustrated by Ferenc Nothof. Inspired by Gangs of London’s blend of grounded, emotional drama and graphic-novelized, heightened genre-heavy look, feel and tone, fans will get a greater insight into the characters and city of London that they have experienced on screen. GHOSTS follows lead character Elliot Carter, as he travels the world to carry out the orders of The Investors.
 
Corin Hardy says:
 
‘I felt like there was a place for a natural companion to the episodes in the show, to tell a series of Gangs of London stories in graphic novel form, that will reveal further insights into our characters and what they get up to before, during and after season 2. I hope you enjoy the first of these, which picks up just before we meet Elliot in the second season and helps us understand the challenging consequences of the deal he made with the Investors and the emotional burden he carries with him....’

It truly is quite the amazing time to be a fan of popular media and storytelling in general. Largely because, the internet and the streaming revolution have allowed for stories that would have lay dormant ages ago or be forgotten altogether, to come to life, and that is giving rise… to joy untold. Since we are connecting with characters that truly reflect our lives and our world and we are enjoying stories that are refreshing and original, and there are no bounds as to how those stories are being told.
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It could be through a streamer, or a comic book or a company that opts to tell stories in an imaginative and unique manner, as is the case with today’s announcement. For earlier today, Macroverse, a web3 Entertainment company, let it be known that Evan Shapiro’s Darkland is coming to their platform on 12/6. Once again giving rise to a fascinating new way to experience original storytelling and an opportunity to enjoy a delightful new story and here are all the details on this release and Evan’s wondrous tale, and a trailer, courtesy of Macroverse.

‘December 1, 2022 (LOS ANGELES & NYC) —’Tis the season to collect comic books!  Macroverse, the leader in digital digital comics, will launch Darkland, a twisted dark comedic drama set in Hell, created by Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer/creator Evan Shapiro (Portlandia, HarmonQuest) with the first full episode is available for all on Tuesday, December 6. Four new chapters will be released bi-weekly starting that Sunday, December 11 and available with a subscription through the next-gen Macroverse app. For those who want to be tempted and get a bite of the dark apple for free, new content will be available on Webtoons every Tuesday. 

Satan III is the ruler of Tyre (aka Hell) where his grandfather Satan I was killed trying to defeat Michael and the Archangels in a war for control of Earth. His son, the quite mad Satan II, was killed by his cousin in a battle for control of Tyre. And that is where our story begins. Satan III is embarking on a dangerous mission to take control of Earth from the Humans. Meanwhile, his cousin Samjaza has other plans - aligning with other Angels and Satan’s wife Zagiel, to take on a distracted Satan III and gain control of Tyre for herself and her Watchers. The Seven Princes of Hell and the rest of the Archangels play numerous games of multi-dimensional palace intrigue, and speed rounds of biblical espionage - all while cutting off heads, eating Humans for lunch, and finding time to quench their some truly disturbing appetites (being near deities does have perks). 

“Darkland is meant to have the look of Game Of Thrones, and the voice of Veep,” notes Shapiro. “Frank Calico’s artwork captures the tone 1000%, and Macroverse is the perfect platform to create a community for a new generation of comics.”
 
“"Reading and collecting comics has been a part of my DNA for as long as I can remember,” said Macroverse co-founder Eben Matthews. “With Macroverse we are finally bringing comics fully into the digital age and delivering a cross-platform experience that I believe is the future of the art form. The Macroverse TapStory format brings new life to the medium while the Webtoons version is designed for quick and easy mobile reading. Early next year we'll bring real collectibility to digital comics with the release of the very first, fully formed NFT comics which is a breakthrough in collectible digital entertainment. It could not make me happier to be pioneering this with Evan and Darkland. This is a universe unlike anything out there. I can not wait to unleash this hilariously twisted story on the world.”

A self-proclaimed comics fanatic since his early summers at camp reading Frank Miller’s Dark Knight, Darkland is Evan’s first comic book series. Until now, his creative (and warped) juices went into a long list of critically-acclaimed television series, documentaries, specials and podcasts all featuring original and diverse voices. Ground-breaking projects have included Portlandia, HarmonQuest, Comedy Bang Bang, Maron, National Lampoon Radio Hour Podcast, The Roast Of Your Teenage Self, Dinner For Five, Please Like Me, Take My Wife, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Shrink, Trapped In The Closet, Joseph Gordon Levitt’s HitRecord, Fortitude, Carlos, My Brother My Brother & Me, Brick City, This Film Is Not Yet Rated and Funny Women of A Certain Age and more. In addition to entertaining audiences, Evan is regularly cited by industry executives and journalists for his provocative takes on the entertainment landscape with detailed maps of the Media Universe.

For more information about Darkland, please visit www.macroverse.com. Twitter: @darkland_comic; @MacroverseHQ

Macroverse is a multi-format entertainment studio that rewards its community, collectors and creators for supporting upcoming blockbuster franchises spanning comics, TV, gaming, animation, movies and more. Starting with highly collectible digital comics crafted for consumption on any device, this next generation platform is positioned to reinvent comics for the digital age.  Exciting new features launch in early 2023 with collectible NFT “Epic” editions featuring new work from Evan Shapiro (Portlandia, HarmonQuest), Jason Brubaker (reMIND, Kung-Fu Panda), Ariel Olivetti (The Hulk, Thor) and many more notable creators.’