The premise of Benjamin, a new sci-fi mystery series from Oni Press, is as intriguing as it is mind-bending. Imagine if legendary sci-fi author Philip K. Dick were resurrected in the 21st century—that's the core idea behind this three-issue prestige format comic. The story follows Benjamin J. Carp, an author who dies in 1982 and mysteriously awakens in 2025 with no recollection of how he returned.

IGN has the exclusive first look at Benjamin #1, which you can explore in the slideshow gallery below. Please note that some content may include NSFW language.

Benjamin #1: Exclusive Comic Book Preview Gallery

View 15 ImagesBenjamin marks the full-length comic writing debut of Ben H. Winters, known for the Last Policeman Trilogy and the CBS series Tracker. The artwork is brought to life by Leomacs, with contributions to EC’s Epitaphs from the Abyss and Basketful of Heads. Cover art is provided by Leomacs, Christian Ward, and Malachi Ward.

Here's the official description from Oni Press:

More than just a writer, more than just a science-fiction icon, Benjamin J. Carp was a cultural revolutionary. Over the course of 44 novels and hundreds of short stories—including the counterculture classic The Man They Couldn’t Erase—Carp pushed the boundaries of literary respectability for the sci-fi genre and his readers’ perception of reality itself . . . until decades of amphetamine abuse and Southern California excess finally ended a mind-bending career that always just escaped mainstream success. He died in 1982.

Until 2025 . . . when Benjamin J. Carp awakens, alive, in a burned-out motel on the fringes of Los Angeles. He remembers dying. He knows he shouldn’t exist. Is he a dream? A robot? A ghost? A clone? A simulation? In his own time, Carp pondered all of these scenarios through his fiction—and, now, as he treks from Studio City to Venice Beach and onward into the paranoid sprawl of 21st-century Los Angeles, he will be called to investigate his greatest mystery yet: himself.

Winters continues, "I've always loved stories that have a bit of a wink to them, a bit of top spin. So a story about a sci-fi writer who may or may not be trapped inside one of his own stories—and by the way written by ANOTHER sci-fi writer—and trying to figure out how to get out...it's a very fun and crafty story that at the same time is pushing at the big questions that define our lives. Also there's a dog in it! A cute, loving dog named Strawman. Honestly, I don't know what else you could want."

Benjamin #1 is set to be released on June 18, 2025. An animated trailer for the series is also available for viewing.

In other comic book news, DC Comics and Ghost Machine are set to have their first crossover, and the 2025 Eisner Award nominees have been announced.