Sun-Eater novelist Christopher Ruocchio signs Marvel deal for Thor

(Image credit: Steve McNiven (Marvel Comics))

Celebrated prose novelist Christopher Ruocchio will make his comic book debut this November with a high-profile Thor story alongside veteran Marvel artist Steve McNiven.

Ruocchio and McNiven's Thor story will be a special extra to November 11's Avengers #50, which is doubling as the 750th issue of the Marvel team book going back to 1963.

"I'm honored to play a small part in this moment of Avengers history and thrilled to get to work with Steve McNiven to bring you all a little classic Thor," Ruocchio says in the announcement. "It's a bit surreal to get to work with a character I grew up with, and I hope I've told a tale worthy of the God of Thunder."

For his part, McNiven is worthy all on his own after his celebrated works such as Civil War, 'Old Man Logan,' New Avengers, Uncanny Avengers, and Nemesis. He recently drew Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha, the kick-off to a major Marvel/Star Wars comic book event.

Ruocchio made a name for himself with the sci-fi/fantasy prose novel franchise, The Sun-Eater series. Launched in 2018 with Empire of Silence, the series follows a young man named Hadrian whose hopes to be a scholar are dashed when he's pulled into a war between the semi-feudal Sollan Empire (Sollan as in Sol, Earth's sun) and an alien race known as the Cielcin.

Avengers #50 (AKA Avengers #750) goes on sale on November 17. Look for Marvel's full November 2021 schedule later this month on Newsarama.

Christopher Ruocchio joins a long list of celebrities such as Mark Hamill and Nicolas Cage who have created comic books.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)