''Reborn'' is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

written by

Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series ''The Authority (comics), The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ext ...

and illustrated by

Greg Capullo Gregory Capullo (; born March 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on ''Quasar (comics), Quasar'' (1991–1992), ''X-Force'' (1992–1993), ''Angela (comics), Angela'' (1994), ''Spawn (comics), Spawn'' ...

. Published by

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

, the series is primarily set in the

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

of the Millarworld, following Bonnie Black, an 80-year-old woman who after her death is reborn in Adystria with a sword in her hand, searching for her husband while facing off against the evils of the neighboring Dark Lands. The series, originally published between October 12, 2016 and June 7, 2017, was collected as a trade paperback on August 2, 2017 and a

hardback A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy ...

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

on May 2, 2018, and was republished as an omnibus by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

in 2024. Characters from the series would return in the miniseries '' Big Game'' in 2023. Receiving a generally positive critical reception, both a sequel and feature film adaptation of the series have been in

development hell Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...

since its initial publication.

Premise

"The old world was just a ''dry run'' for this one. If you were ''good'' there, you're strong ''here''. If you were kind to everyone, you're reborn ''unbeatable''."

Where do we go when we die? Not

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

, but Adystria or the Dark Lands, where one has to fight to survive, and the people of the past are waiting, good and bad alike. On dying of old age in her hospital bed, 80-year-old Bonnie Black finds herself reborn in the

of Adystria, a realm ten times the size of Earth, as its physically 25-years-old "savior", with a sword in her hand and gun of her hip, forced to protect the realm from the evils of the Dark Lands, while searching for her husband Harry.

In other media

''Big Game''

Bonnie Black and her father Big Tom from ''Reborn'' return in the final issue of the 2023 limited series '' Big Game'' (again written by Millar and drawn by Pepe Larraz), the former decapitating Wesley Gibson after he awakens in Adystria on being shot in the face by

Hit-Girl Hit-Girl (Mindy McCready) is an antihero appearing in the Millarworld shared fictional universe, published by Marvel Comics under the company's imprint Icon Comics and later Image Comics, one of the titular characters of the ''Hit-Girl & Kick ...

on Earth.

Film adaptation

Ahead of its initial publication,

stated in June 2016 that the series had been produced with an adaptation in mind, having already begun negotiations to see one be made. By January 2019,

Chris McKay Christopher McKay (born November 11, 1973) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is best known for directing and editing three seasons of ''Robot Chicken'' and two seasons of '' Moral Orel''. He made his feature directorial debut with '' T ...

was attached to direct a ''Reborn'' feature film for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, with

Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and film producer. The List of highest-paid film actors, highest-paid actress of 2010 and 2014, Sandra Bullock filmography, Bullock's filmography spans both comedy and drama, ...

and

Vertigo Entertainment Vertigo Entertainment is an American film and television production company based in Los Angeles, founded in 2001 by Roy Lee and Doug Davison. History In 2001, after leaving film production company BenderSpink, Roy Lee started Vertigo Ente ...

producing, and Bullock being considered to possibly also star. By August 2020, Bek Smith came onboard as the film's screenwriter, along with Bullock's Fortis Films banner and additional producers

Roy Lee Roy Lee (born March 23, 1969) is an American film and television producer. His production company, Vertigo Entertainment, has a first-look deal with Lionsgate. Early life Lee was born in 1969 at Wyckoff Heights Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, ...

and Miri Moon, and co-producer Samantha Nisenboim, with Bullock confirmed to co-star in the film by September, being produced for

. Following this, the film entered

References

External links

''Reborn''
at

{{Image Comics Comics by Mark Millar Characters created by Mark Millar Characters created by Greg Capullo Image Comics titles Fiction about reincarnation Fiction about the afterlife