Christopher Nolan wrote an Interstellar prequel comic about its surprise character

Continuing his tradition of writing dialogue that you can’t hear, Christopher Nolan has written a seven-page Interstellar prequel comic for Wired as part of his guest-editing stint. The comic, drawn by Punk Rock Jesus artist Sean Gordon Murphy, fills in some of the backstory—and gives away one of the movie’s casting surprises—by focusing on Matt Damon’s Doctor Mann, who was sent through a wormhole to vet a new world for human life long before the perceived timeline of the movie begins (even though the actual timeline of Interstellar is, well, flexible).

The comic depicts Mann waking from hibernation to discover, via his sassy robot KIPP, that the data pulled from a probe confirms his worst fears: the ice planet Mann now calls home cannot support human life. It’s the kind of literal and figurative rude awakening that is perfect for reinforcing a Nolan story, as the audience cannot possibly misunderstand the intention here.

Here’s a glimpse of Mann’s adventures on the surface:

You can read the whole comic at the Wired site.

Although this likely will be the only Interstellar comic Nolan ever writes, it certainly reveals the potential for stories about other members of the Lazarus missions, all of whom went looking for a new home for mankind. While Nolan used space travel as a circuitous route to understanding the potential for human achievement, it would be interesting to see a few comic writers tackle the other possibilities that this premise—and an endless universe—affords. And more robots, please.

[via MTV]