Oakland is getting a comic book-themed bar — one that celebrates not the heroes, but the villains.

First Edition, opening tonight in uptown Oakland, has walls with large-scale comic panels, light fixtures shaped like speech bubbles and framed editions of “Archie” by the bathrooms. “But we went a little bit dark,” admits co-owner Cory Hunt. The centerpiece of the 4,000-square-foot space is an original sculpture called Chuckles, formed out of pediatric walkers and plastic bones by designer Michael Brennan. “My two-year-old daughter won’t set foot in the door because of Chuckles,” Hunt says.

The intent is to have a more grown-up bar than Jackalope and Soda Popinski’s, the rowdy San Francisco bars that Hunt co-owns; his Jackalope partner Javier Ortiz is also behind First Edition. For the new location, “we wanted to focus on cocktails a little more,” Hunt says.

To make that happen, they’ve brought on Napier Bulanan, who previously worked at FOB Kitchen, Jackalope and Novela, as beverage manager. She’s created a drink menu — formatted, of course, like a comic book — that takes heavy inspiration from “Cocktail Codex,” the book that grew out of New York bar Death & Co.

The menu is structured around classic cocktail formats, called “roots,” which Bulanan then riffs on: For instance, there’s a standard Old Fashioned, then a twist on the Old Fashioned (the French Connection, made with Cognac and amaretto), then a house original that still follows the Old Fashioned template (the mezcal- and rum-forward Creole Club). All cocktails are $12, and three alcohol-free cocktails are available, for $10 each.

In addition to the spacious, bi-level indoors, First Edition boasts a rooftop deck, which will remain open on weekends until 1 a.m. An abbreviated version of the menu from neighboring Xolo Taqueria will be available — four tacos ($4.50 each) and six burritos ($6.50 to $12).

Hunt says he consulted the nearby comic book shop Cape & Cowl as he was finalizing the menu and design. “They’re the ones that suggested we do a panel format, like ‘Watchmen,’” he says.

He hopes to attract comic book nerds, but also cocktail lovers who want a fun place to enjoy serious drinks. That’s why the space is a little more elevated, and the cocktail menu a lot more elevated, than those at Jackalope and Soda Popinski’s. “We want to blend the neighborhood-bar feel and the late-night party scene,” Hunt says. “We’re upping our cocktail game, but we want to make it accessible and, most importantly, fun.”

First Edition. Open 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 1915 Broadway, Oakland. www.firsteditionoakland.com

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle’s wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob