As fan gets ready for the third season of the SyFy series Z Nation, it was announced prior to San Diego Comic Con by Bleeding Cool that Dynamite Entertainment will be publishing a canonical prequel Z Nation comic series. The comic series will be written by Fred Van Lente and series co-creator Craig Engler and will take place one year before the events of the show. No artist(s) has been announced for the series yet.

The Black Summer storyline will reveal previously unknown stories from the apocalyptic world that Z Nation takes place in, stories that have affected and shaped character of the show. The story is set in year two of the Zpocalypse, when a drought sweeps through the United States and makes already dwindling food supplies that much worse. The survivors that remain become even more desperate and fight among themselves for a new food source that could prove to be their salvation.

Debuting in 2014, Z Nation is a comedy/drama/horror show about ordinary citizens on a cross-country mission as they escort the only known survivor of a zombie bite. Many have praised the show for its more lighthearted approach to the zombie genre, versus the often serious and grim take that The Walking Dead takes.

While zombie comics are a bit played out at this point, Dynamite has a good track record with licensed properties. The combination of Van Lente and Engler as writers should give the comic not only a sense of authenticity, given Engler’s close ties to the original property, but also an understanding of how comics work, as Van Lente is a skilled pro. The series will launch in early 2017.