Author Neil Gaiman’s celebrated 2001 modern fantasy novel American Gods, about a world where gods and mythological beings exist simply because people believe in them, will soon be making the transition to television in a new series on Starz. But before that particular adaptation hits the airwaves, Dark Horse Comics is coming out with their own version of Gaiman’s contemporary classic as American Gods: Shadows. 

The new comic book series from Dark Horse is being written and laid out by longtime Neil Gaiman collaborator P. Craig Russell, and the series will feature artwork from illustrator Scott Hampton and covers from Glenn Fabry.  The series is planned to consist of three story arcs comprising 27 issues total.

While artist Glenn Fabry (Preacher) will be providing the standard cover art, and the cover to the first issue, seen above, depicts the buffalo-headed man who haunts protagonist Shadow Moon throughout the novel. Artists David Mack (Daredevil, Kabuki), and Dave McKean (Sandman) will be providing the variant covers for issue #1, which we can exclusively reveal to you in our gallery down below.

Here is the official description of the upcoming first issue of Dark Horse Comics’ American Gods: Shadows:

“Shadow Moon just got out of jail, only to discover his wife is dead. Defeated, broke, and uncertain as to where to go from here, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who employs him to serve as his bodyguard—thrusting Shadow into a deadly world of the supernatural, where ghosts of the past come back from the dead, and a brewing war between old and new gods hits a boiling point.”

American Gods: Shadows hits comic book shops everywhere on  March 15th.

Are you excited about this latest adaptation of Gaiman’s work? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Dark Horse Comics