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Andy Serkis’ Rewriting Extinction comic “Selfless Giant”revealed

By John Freeman on July 6, 2021

“Selfless Giant” by Andy Serkis, Paul Goodenough, Danijel Zezelj and Bernardo Brice, part of the Rewriting Extinction project, got its launch today on the Lord of the Rings actor’s Instagram channel.

The new comic reveal follows hot on the heels of an incredibly successful pre-order launch for the tie-in book, The Most Important Comic Book on Earth, and signals the launch of the Seas and Oceans campaign for July, in partnership with Greenpeace.

“Selfless Giant” reflects concerns that unless we all take action now, the ice glaciers, the Selfless Giants, will vanish forever by 2040.

It’s written by writer, director and actor Andy Serkis, best known for his work on Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, and The Hobbit, project editor and founder of Rewriting Extinction Paul Goodenough, writer and producer on shows such as Dreamworks Dragons, GI Joe and Have I Got News For You, artist Danijel Zezelj (Babilon, Chaperon Rouge, Starve, Days of Hate, Van Gogh/Fractalia), and letterer Bernardo Brice (Adora and the Distance, Where we Live, Hidden Society, Funny Creek).

Securing Global Ocean Protection

There are over two million species in the ocean – but overfishing, pollution and climate change are causing catastrophic biodiversity loss. Creating hundreds of oceans sanctuaries across the world would have an extraordinary effect on life in our oceans. Where marine areas are properly protected, fish populations have been shown to increase more than six-fold.

Our fate is bound to the fate of our oceans. They do more than harbour incredible wildlife – they support all life on Earth. By producing half our oxygen and soaking up huge amounts of carbon dioxide, oceans are one of our best defences against climate change. If they don’t make it, we don’t either.

Protecting our oceans needs international co-operation. Greenpeace is campaigning around the world to persuade Governments to agree to a strong Global Ocean Treaty at the United Nations. This is an historic opportunity to create oceans sanctuaries, areas safe from human exploitation, across at least 30% of our oceans by 2030.

Wherever a proper ocean sanctuary is created, the results are dramatic. Habitats recover. The fish come back. Life finds a way. A global network of sanctuaries is a brilliantly simple – and achievable – solution to some of the threats our oceans face.

The Most Important Comic Book on Earth

Two years in the making and crammed with a huge, entertaining and challenging variety of comic stories, The Most Important Comic Book on Earth is now available to pre-order, a global collaboration for planetary change, featuring the work of 300 creators from all over the world.

Featuring over 120 stories to save the world, on offer are inspirational tales from celebrity names such as Cara Delevingne, whose comic, “Melody” was the first to be released online as a teaser, attracting over ten million page views, and now, Andy Serkis, and “Concrete Ceiling” by climate activist Luisa Neubauer, Paul Goodenough and Rosie Vangelova.

You’ll also be able to enjoy hilarious webcomics from War and Peas and Ricky Gervais, artworks by leading illustrators David Mack and Tula Lotay, calls to action from activists George Monbiot and Jane Goodall, and powerful stories by Brian Azzarello and Amy Chu.

Combined, the comics in this anthology will support projects and organisations fighting to save the planet – and, hopefully, Rewrite Extinction.

The Most Important Comic Book On Earth offers “Stories to educate and inspire people for environmental change,” project co-ordinator Paul Goodenough explains, “but, mostly, to take the conversation out of the worthy and scary spheres and into popular culture.

“Our stories are silly, funny, heartbreaking, dramatic – they are everything except dull and factual!”

Rewriting Extinction

Rewriting Extinction is a campaign to raise money and awareness for seven projects to tackle both the climate and the biodiversity crisis. These project are evidence-based, actionable, and ready to rollout in the next 12 months and will help stop species going extinct, once and for all.

The overarching plan comprises projects from Greenpeace, World Land Trust, Born Free, Re:wild, The Wildlife Trusts, Reserva and Rewilding Europe, and promotes simple, but powerful, actions we can all take.

Rewriting Extinction want to represent a moment in time when, collectively, we put species extinction and biodiversity to the top of all our agendas. All the projects they are aiming to fund offer permanent solutions that can start right now… within the 12 months the campaign will run.

It’s project that not only promotes great environmental causes, but is being enhanced by comics, too – and I hope you are by now suitably encouraged to pre-order a copy of The Most Important Comic Book on Earth!

If you are able, please also donate to support the various projects chosen that will make a difference to wildlife and the environment, tag your friends, like, share and comment the social media posts on your preferred platforms.

Let this be the moment we say “No More Extinction” and start rebuilding their world, for all our benefits.

Thanks for reading.

• Follow Andy Serkis on Instagram here

• Please consider pre-ordering The Most Important Comic Book On Earth here – it’s for a great cause

As one of the authors, working with Lew Stringer, like everyone else involved, I’m donating 100% of my royalties of this to species saving projects with Rewriting Extinction, an incredible fundraiser that aims to stop species going extinct

• Check out and donate in support of the wider aims of this project at the official #RewritingExtinction web site | Visit the #RewritingExtinction social media sites on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.