Writer James Tynion IV and artist Rian Sygh’s BOOM! Studios series “The Backstagers” is becoming a middle-grade prose series , written by actor/singer and now first-time author Andy Mientus (Smash, The Flash), and illustrated by Sygh. The books will be published by the Abrams Books imprint Amulet.

Tynion and Sygh’s original eight-issue “Backstagers” comic, which was published from August 2016 to March 2017, was an all-ages comic that followed Jory, a recent transfer to the private, all-boys school St. Genesius. He joins the backstage crew at the school’s theater, and discovers that they possess a portal to other worlds. The series, which was created by the openly bisexual Tynion and transgender Sygh, features many gay, bi and trans characters, and has received a GLAAD nomination. Mientus, who is bisexual, said:

“From my first journey through the original run of comics by James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh, I was completely taken with the mysterious world of the Backstagers and the endearing cast of characters exploring it-a cast I believe any kid could see themself in. It has been such an honor to expand that world and cast in this new series of books. I have always been fascinated by the rituals and legends surrounding theater and I have loved exploring the ways in which real-life theater lore plays with the lore James and Rian created.”

The first book, The Backstagers and the Ghost Light, will be published on September 25, 2018, and will see the crew realizing they may have brought a poltergeist into the theater after playing with a spirit board. The book will be 256 pages long, with 20 black-and-white illustrations, and is available to pre-order at the cost of $14.99.