Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con International, Comixology Originals and new publisher Cosmic Lighthouse have announced Salvation’s Child, the debut graphic novel written by multi-award-winning science-fiction and fantasy writer Adrian Tchaikovsky with art by Mike Collins and a cover by Steve Stone.
Salvation’s Child is a prologue to Tchaikovsky’s bestselling and critically-acclaimed The Final Architecture novel series, Tchaikovsky’s extraordinary space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction that includes the novels Shards of Earth, Eyes of the Void, andLords of Uncreation.
The graphic novel will be the inaugural release of Cosmic Lighthouse, the brainchild of Paul Cornell (who will is Editor-in-Chief) and Lee Harris (editor of the Murderbot Diaries, Wayward Children, Monk & Robot and Writer and performer of Monty Wisdom’s Words of Wisdom), with Anthony Cronin.
Salvation’s Child will be released in summer 2026 and will be available digitally from Amazon’s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line.
“The chance to revisit this universe in a new medium is an incredible opportunity,” said writer Adrian Tchaikovsky. “I’m grateful that Paul, Comixology, and Cosmic Lighthouse have given me this opportunity to return to the Architects and look at parts of the setting the original books didn’t get a chance to linger on. Working with the artistic team has been an exciting experience and I think together we’ve created something really special.”
In Salvation’s Child, the alien Architects have ripped Earth apart and threaten every colony world… but can one small child sense their approach?
“Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of the most important SFF writers of our time, and we’re thrilled to work with him on his debut graphic novel,” said Jeff DiBartolomeo, Comixology’s GM and CTO. “We have tremendous respect and admiration for Adrian’s work, and it’s no surprise that he’s one of the most widely read writers being published today.
“Adrian has received an Arthur C. Clarke Award and numerous Hugo Award nominations; it’s an honour to help bring such a talented storyteller to a new medium.
“Next year, with the release of Salvation’s Child, we have the opportunity to reach readers who may have never read a graphic novel. We’re so excited about this release that we couldn’t wait to announce it, even though it won’t be out until next year – 2026 can’t get here fast enough!”
Artist Mike Collins has drawn comics featuring Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Flash, Teen Titans, X-Men and storyboards for TV and film, including Doctor Who, Good Omens, and His Dark Materials. He’s also written a number of comics and short stories himself, including Star Trek tales.
“I’ve been a fan of Adrian’s for years, and it’s one of the biggest thrills of my life to bring to life his story in my art,” he says. “From jaw dropping cosmic battles, to heartbreaking personal scenes, I think I’m creating some of the best pages of my whole career.”
“This is a very special, dynamic story with an epic sweep and a genuine soul,” he continues. “The stakes for humanity are expressed so well, I’m upping my game to try to match them in my storytelling.”
Salvation’s Child will feature colours by Pippa Bowland, letters by Simon Bowland, a cover by Steve Stone and is edited by Cosmic Lighthouse Editor-in-Chief Paul Cornell (Doctor Who, Saucer Country, I Walk With Monsters).
Steve Stone, who has provided book covers for Adrian Tchaikovsky’s SF novels, as well as other authors such as Neal Asher, Arthur C Clarke Stephen King, James Herbert and Scott Reintgen, studied art at Nottingham University in the 1980s. He’s worked commercially as a digital artist from his studio in North Yorkshire, since 1996, in the publishing, computer game and advertising industries in both the UK and the United States. Corporate clients includeSony, Hewlett Packard and General Electric.
“We at Cosmic Lighthouse are excited to work with the very best names in the field of science fiction and fantasy paired with great comic artists to bring new and longtime readers of the genre more of what they love in a new medium,“ says Paul. “Launching our first title digitally with Comixology Originals brings us even closer to the future.”
Adrian Tchaikovsky is a British science-fiction and fantasy writer known for a wide-variety of work including the Children of Time, Final Architecture, Dogs of War, Tyrant Philosophers and Shadows of the Apt series, as well as a number of standalone books. His work has been nominated for and/or won a large number of awards, including the Hugo Award (for Best Novel, Best Novella and Best Series), the Locus Award (for Best Science Fiction Novel and Best Fantasy Novel), the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and multiple British Fantasy Awards, British Science Fiction Awards, Philip K. Dick Awards, and many more.
Mike Collins is an artist who has, over four decades, drawn nearly every major superhero character in US and UK comics. Although he’s best known for his comics work on Doctor Who and Star Trek, which he’s written and drawn for Marvel, DC Comics, IDW and Panini. He’s been the main storyboard artist on the Doctor Who TV show for the last decade and has worked on many high-profile genre shows including His Dark Materials, The Witcher and Good Omens.
Cosmic Lighthouse is the brainchild of Paul Cornell and Lee Harris, a new comics company devoted to publishing original graphic novels by the greatest modern Science Fiction and Fantasy writers, paired with the world’s best artists.
“Cosmic Lighthouse’s unique selling point is that we get best-selling SFF authors to write their own graphic novels,” Paul expanded on Bluesky. “No ghost writers! And no Big Name In Big Letters Actual Writer In Small Letters on the cover! (You know what I mean. Might need to workshop that.”).
“Added to this, the fact that all our creative team are invested in a book’s success,” Lee Harris said. “We pay royalties to everyone, not just the writer. So, artists, colourists and letterers all get a percentage of our graphic novels’ successes. They are instrumental in making a book work, so they should be rewarded.”
Amazon’s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line is available at no additional cost for members of Kindle Unlimited and Comixology Unlimited, and for purchase (AmazonUK Affiliate Link). Prime members can enjoy a selection of eBooks, audiobooks, comics, and manga included with their Prime membership. With a monthly Kindle Unlimited membership, customers get access to an extensive library of digital books, featuring beloved authors and genres, including binge-worthy series, best sellers, audiobooks, comics and manga, magazines, and trending titles – all at your fingertips.
Comixology Unlimited offers US comic readers over 45,000 comics, graphic novels and manga for just $5.99 a month with a free trial, here.
• Find out more about Cosmic Lighthouse at cosmiclighthouse.co.uk | Follow Cosmic Lighthouse on: Instagram and Bluesky
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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.
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