‘Unknown 9,’ Transmedia Occult Thriller, Debuts at New York Comic Con

Those attending New York Comic Con over the weekend had the chance to discover a secret world within a world, thanks to an off-site live experience and a preview of an upcoming comic book series.

Both are part of Unknown 9, an ambitious cross-media project centering around a hidden organization called the Leap Year Society that intends to collect keys to the world’s greatest mysteries. The first project from Canadian production company Reflector Entertainment, Unknown 9 is intended to span multiple media, including a trilogy of novels, video games, movies, television and comic books, with the last of those already announced; Dark Horse Comics will be publishing Unknown 9 Archives by John Ney Reiber and Jae Lee in the spring, with a preview issue already available digitally on multiple platforms.

In addition to limited print editions of the preview issue — available at the Dark Horse booth at the convention — New York Comic Con attendees had another opportunity to sample what Unknown 9 has to offer, however. A special two-night immersive live experience at the McKittrick Hotel allowed guests to be inducted into the Leap Year Society themselves, as the result of being present during what is euphemistically described as “an otherworldly soiree.”

The NYCC push marked the official launch of the property, with Friday evening’s McKittrick Hotel experience also including appearances from key creative talent across its different incarnations. Present for a special launch event were Reiber and Lee, as well Heroes creator Tim Kring, 10 Cloverfield Lane screenwriters Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken, author Layton Green, podcast producer Terry Miles, Unknown 9 story architect Kim Belair, producer Noémie L’Écuyer and Reflector executives Alexandre Amancio, David Bédard and Rosana Roth.

Following the live experience and comic book preview, Reflector intends to unfold the larger Unknown 9 picture — and multiple related projects — slowly across the next few years. More information can be found via the Unknown 9 website.