'Attack on Titan' Comics Expands Storyline to Alternate Universes: Hajime Isayama To Collaborate with Scott Snyder, Paolo River & Other Notable Comic Creators

The "Attack on Titan" comics created by Hajime Isayama is expanding its storyline to alternate universes.

The news was announced at the New York Comic-Con 2015 panel, Anime News Network reported. The "Attack on Titan Anthology" will be a 250-page, full-color graphic novel that will be written by a star-studded lineup of North American comics creators, such as Scott Snyder ("Batman"), Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr ("New Batgirl"), Kevin Wada ("She-Hulk"), Genevieve Valentine ("Catwoman"), Paolo Rivera ("Daredevil"), Gail Simone ("Red Sonja"), and Cameron Stewart, who has worked for Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse Comics.

Also contributing in the stories are indie comics creators, which includes Afua Richardson ("Genius"), Ronald Wimberly ("Sunset Park"), Tomer and Asaf Hanuka ("The Divine"), Faith Erin Hicks ("The Nameless City"), and Kate Leth ("The Bravest Warriors"), ANN listed. More names will be announced soon.

The upcoming graphic novel will showcase new and original content set in the past, present, and alternate universes of giants that devour men, pushing the remaining humans to live and defend themselves behind walled cities, the news outlet further reported. The new original tales are currently being developed, with a publication scheduled in fall 2016.

Jeanine Schaefer, Ben Applegate, and Kana Koide are the creative team behind the anthology. In a recent interview with ANN, the latest "Attack on Titan" concept is an effort to bridge the gap between North American and Japanese comics creators, as well as uniting readers of both fandoms.

This strategy was spearheaded by Kodansha Comics, the publishing company behind "Attack on Titan." Koide said that the company's movie into new territory was done to create "something entirely new and interesting for these new readers as well as manga readers," ANN reported.

Koide continued, "So everyone on the Japanese side, from Isayama-sensei and his editors, and all the way up to the Kodansha executives, are interested in taking a very forward-looking attitude toward this project; they're very involved in this. WE think that Kodansha is probably the company that is pursuing this sort of thing most actively now."

Applegate said that they have discussed including plenty of different genres and styles of stories to the anthology. He added that variety is important for Kodansha, but the anthology should also feature the "basic element of the story, the fear and uncertainly that underlies everything that happens," ANN noted.

"I mean that they can feel free to kill off any of the characters that THEY create for their stories. In order to make it feel like 'Attack on Titan,' no one can be safe," Applegate said of the creators, as quoted by ANN.