Some rebellions never die… As part of its announcement slate at New York Comic Con, Oni Press has unveiled a first look at Dr. Syn, a rebellious new four-issue series for the infamous vigilante-turned-freedom fighter. This brand-new beginning for one of history’s first proto-pulp heroes hails from modern masters Michael E. Uslan (the executive producer behind every Batman film) and Steven S. DeKnight (showrunner of Netflix’s Daredevil) join riveting artist Sebastián Cabrol (EC’s Catacomb of Torment) and will launch in comic book stores in January 2027.
Once, the Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn waged a guerrilla insurgency across 18th-century England— justice for the cruel deaths of his family at the hands of King George III and the rest of England’s persecuted and oppressed. Hidden behind a terrifying mask to keep his true identity concealed, Syn’s rebellion soon became legend, inspiring copycat uprisings across the English countryside as the “Scarecrow of Romney Marsh” became a beacon of resistance against his nation’s mad monarch.
But that’s where history’s chronicle of the Scarecrow’s reign is about to go violently, terribly wrong . . .
Now Dr. Syn has been captured, tried, and condemned for his crimes. Forced into death by exile in the British Empire’s most inhospitable outpost—the American penal colony known as “Georgia”—Syn has found himself imprisoned alongside a hardscrabble crew of his king’s most notorious “undesirables.”
With a mismatched team of allies fueled by the same burning vengeance for justice at his side, can England’s most dangerous revolutionary finally bring the empire down in an inferno of roaring flames . . . and could this backwater collection of pestilence-ridden colonies called America provide the spark?
The year is 1775. And Dr. Syn’s war is about to begin.
“From film to comic books and back again, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a hand in shaping many of the iconic characters that first fueled my fascination with heroes, crime fighters, and vigilantes,” said co-writer Michael Uslan. “But even as I was bearing the torch to bring Batman to the big screen as a major film franchise or taking up writing duties on characters like Archie or The Spirit, there was always one more legend itching away in the back of mind: Dr. Syn, the proto-pulp avenger first created by author Russell Thorndike more than a century ago. Fortunately, the immensely talented Steven S. DeKnight shared my fascination, and, together with the brilliant Sebastián Cabrol, we’ve hatched a fierce new vision for a character that could be best described as ‘America’s first dark knight.’ Every revolution needs to start somewhere, and we’re so excited to share DR. SYN with a new generation of fans and readers.”
“The story of Syn couldn’t be more of a rollicking, historical tale of action and adventure. It’s also shockingly timely,” said co-writer Steven S. DeKnight. “An aggrieved citizen fighting back against a mad tyrant and his oppressive government running roughshod over the common man? The echoes of this resonant throughout the ages and the vibrations from such are more relevant than ever. But that never overtakes the core of Syn, which in its bones is a thrilling homage to the serial adventures of yesteryear, chuck full of edge-of-your-seat daring heroics, narrow escapes, romance, swordplay, and everything else that makes this genre so incredibly entertaining.”
Across more than a century, Dr. Syn has been a recurring fixture of feature film, pulp fiction, and comics book publishing. Always clad in his trademark Scarecrow mask, Syn was first introduced in 1915 by author Russell Thorndike as the titular smuggler hero at the epicenter of Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh. As his adventures continued across six more novels, Syn’s exploits were the subject of multiple film adaptations from the 1930s onward, culminating in 1963’s Disney feature film The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, which also resulted in a tie-in comic book series published by Dell Comics. Uslan, DeKnight and Cabrol’s new reinvention of the character will be the first major appearance of the character – frequently counted alongside Tarzan, Conan, and Buck Rogers as one of the first and most influential proto-pulp archetypes – in the 21st century and will mark the first time the legendary British character has walked American shores.
Dr. Syn #1 arrives in comic book stores on January 6, 2027.
