DC Comics drawing Nier

Square Enix will be debuting its newest action role-playing game franchise Nier for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on April 27. To help get that property off the ground, the Japanese publisher has teamed with DC Comics to provide more backstory on the new world through a comic-book series. Gamers can pick up the first edition of the series now through the game's official Web site, Xbox Live, or the PlayStation Network.

A three-issue series set to conclude on the day of Nier's retail release, the comics introduce the game's titular hero and his pestilence-ridden daughter, Yonah. Other characters to be highlighted in the comics include Nier's companion Kaine, as well as the sentient book known as Grimoire Weiss. Gamers will also learn the origins of The Black Scrawl, better known as the disease that has decimated the human race.

The Nier comic series is being handled by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint and features the work of Emmy-winning creator and executive producer Ricardo Sanchez. Other contributors include Pop Mhan (Batgirl, The Flash), Eddie Nunez (DC Universe MMOG), and Carlos D'Anda (Justice League of America, Deathblow).

For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Nier.