Want to know more about what happened between 1996's Independence Day and next year's Independence Day: Resurgence? You're in luck. A new comic will bridge the original movie and it's sequel. And it will help set up new characters while reestablishing old acquaintances. Best of all, this in-canon tale will delve into the very dark recesses of the sci-fi franchise.

Titan Comics is publishing the untitled Independence Day: Resurgence prequel comic book sometime next year. They describe it as a 'dark' prison drama that will lead directly into the story being told in the hugely anticipated sequel, which arrives twenty years after aliens first invaded, and subsequently devastated planet earth. The tone is described as 'rich' and 'psychological'. Editor Steve White had this to say about the impending comic book release.

"[It will be] a golden opportunity to segue nicely into next year's blockbuster sequel by taking the mythos of the original and maybe adding a little darkness to it."

It isn't yet known who will be writing this Independence Day 2 prequel comic book, and none of the artists have been announced. The title comes as another anticipated tie-in for Titan's licensed comic book line. They current have a very popular comic in circulation based on the hit BBC series Doctor Who. They also publish comic book series based on NBC's The Blacklist and the video game Assassin's Creed. There will also be a series tied into NBC's upcoming revival series Heroes Reborn.

Independence Day: Resurgence has already wrapped filming, and a trailer is expected to drop sometime around Christmas. The film brings back original stars Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox and Brent Spiner. Newcomers include Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Angelababy and Sela Ward. It's not quite clear which of these characters has found themselves in prison, or why. How does a prison system work in the post-apocalyptic world of an Aline invasion that has brought the planet to ruins, anyway?

In Independence Day: Resurgence, mankind knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens' advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction. The movie arrives next summer. The Independence Day: Resurgence prequel comic doesn't yet have a release date.