By David Wharton | 8 years ago

One of the more intriguing out-of-nowhere projects that’s popped up recently is Lantern City, a Steampunk web series co-created and executive produced by Babylon 5‘s Bruce Boxleitner. The project announced itself a couple of weeks ago with a press release and a website, but details were scarce. Now, as the annual fandom fiesta of Comic-Con is winding down, tons of new info about the series has been added to the site, including the intriguing news that fans will be able to submit their own Steampunk creations for possible use in the series.

The website describes the series as “fan-inspired and fan-created television.” Via the website’s forums fans are already submitting various Steampunk creations and costumes, divided into categories such as Costumes/Cosplay, Steampunk Fashion, Machines/Devices, Weaponry, Watches/Clocks, Transportation, and Lifestyle. According to the FAQ, the winning pieces “will be seen in an episode of Bruce Boxleitner’s Lantern City and receive an on-screen credit.” The contest will run “through production of the first season.”

So what about the show itself? The official description says that Lantern City:

…combines first-rate storytelling, innovative production design, and a rich world that fans will fall in love with. Even though it will blend great science fiction with dynamic storylines, at its heart the show asks two questions: how far would you go to be with the person you love and what lengths would you go to in order to survive?

Lantern City takes place on an alternate version of Earth called Hetra, with the titular city being the main setting. When warlords began conquering the lands around Lantern City, an entrepreneur named Isaac Foster Grey oversaw the construction of a wall to surround and protect the city. While this provided for defense, it also caused Lantern City to become isolated and cut off from the rest of Hetra. The series starts up a century after the building of the wall, and will involve several characters from our “real world” being transported into the world of Lantern City.

There’s no word yet when Lantern City will begin posting episodes, but in the mean time you can read much more about the show’s history and characters over at the official website.