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The idea of Black Mirror comic books is so good that it feels almost impossible that no one had done it before British indie publisher Neil Gibson announced an ambitious plan to bring the cult sci-fi series to comics in late 2024. But perhaps the reason it took so long to happen was the limitations Netflix has put on the property.

The deal between Gibson’s Twisted Comics and Banijay Rights — who controls the merchandising rights for the Netflix show, which is a co-production between Netflix and Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ production company Broke and Bones — was initially announced back in November 2024. At the time, the comic book series was described as “immersive comic books comprising iconic Black Mirror storylines,” but that wasn’t exactly the original idea when the deal started being discussed.

“Originally, I was supposed to write my own brand-new stories. And the contract was that they would own all the rights to that forever, which I thought was fine because I get to [be part of the] Black Mirror brand,” Gibson told the audience during his 'Black Mirror, Inked: Lessons from a Netflix-to-Comics Adaptation' panel at Emerald City Comic Con 2025. “People would discover me. It's cool. Then the CEO of Netflix got involved, and apparently, this is one of their top brands globally. Maybe not in the US, but worldwide, it is. And so he said, ‘No, I don't want any new stories. Stick to the classics.’”

Gibson didn't say which of the Netflix Co-CEOS - Ted Sarandos or Greg Peters - was the one to make the call (or if it was both). Either way, The end result is that Twisted’s Black Mirror comics will only feature very faithful renditions of the most popular episodes of the series.

On the one hand, it’s good to see that Netflix is invested in the quality control of the project, which will launch on Kickstarter later in 2025. (The initial offering will be two 90+ page graphic novels, adapting ‘San Junipero’ and ‘USS Callister,’ Gibson reports; he says that the graphic novel format is something he’s more comfortable working in, and more suited to retelling the Black Mirror episodes in comic book form.) On the other, if Twisted Comics is only allowed to adapt pre-existing material, that’s a notable limitation on the amount of Black Mirror comics fans can expect to see in the next few years. After all, there’s only 27 episodes at time of writing… (28 if you include the choose-your-own-adventure special ‘Bandersnatch’.)

Keep your eyes peeled on Popverse for more updates on the Black Mirror comic book project across the coming months.

 Here's how to watch Black Mirror in order.