Sunday
Sep052010
The Black Dawn - A Web Series and Much More
Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 12:52PM
A thread came up on the Post-Apocalyptic Forum asking about PA web series, so I Googled around a bit and found The Black Dawn.
This is one of those things where I can't believe I hadn't come across it before. The web series ran for 24 weekly episodes starting in January 2009, and tells the story of 13 college students who appear to be the only survivors of a viral plague that kills everyone around them in minutes, while a strange black cloud covers the entire city. Over the course of the series, they try to solve the mystery of who or what caused The Black Dawn, and why they're still alive.
As I was watching it, I was thinking to myself that it was easily on par with your average made-for-tv movie, which considering it was a web-only production was meant as a compliment. Apparently, others agreed, because the original web-series was re-cut with other filmed content and released as a syndicated TV show running for nine 30-minute episodes in late 2009.
In addition to the original web-series, and a four-episode prequel series, the creators also fleshed out the universe of the show with 30 videoblog entries, presented by the characters of the story, one of which shows the moment of the viral outbreak itself.
But wait, there's more! Just when I thought I had seen all there was to see about The Black Dawn, I found a set of short comic books also set at the time of the attack. Comprised of eight issues, the comic really helps you to understand a key plot point in the series.
Overall, I think the original web-series is well worth watching. Then it's up to you how far you want to dive into the story. The comic books are short enough that they don't take too much time, but do add to the story. I haven't watched the prequel series yet, but I intend to.
Or if you don't want to bother having to track down the individual pieces, they're also re-cutting the content into a two-hour feature film to be released in 2010.
This is one of those things where I can't believe I hadn't come across it before. The web series ran for 24 weekly episodes starting in January 2009, and tells the story of 13 college students who appear to be the only survivors of a viral plague that kills everyone around them in minutes, while a strange black cloud covers the entire city. Over the course of the series, they try to solve the mystery of who or what caused The Black Dawn, and why they're still alive.
As I was watching it, I was thinking to myself that it was easily on par with your average made-for-tv movie, which considering it was a web-only production was meant as a compliment. Apparently, others agreed, because the original web-series was re-cut with other filmed content and released as a syndicated TV show running for nine 30-minute episodes in late 2009.
In addition to the original web-series, and a four-episode prequel series, the creators also fleshed out the universe of the show with 30 videoblog entries, presented by the characters of the story, one of which shows the moment of the viral outbreak itself.
But wait, there's more! Just when I thought I had seen all there was to see about The Black Dawn, I found a set of short comic books also set at the time of the attack. Comprised of eight issues, the comic really helps you to understand a key plot point in the series.
Overall, I think the original web-series is well worth watching. Then it's up to you how far you want to dive into the story. The comic books are short enough that they don't take too much time, but do add to the story. I haven't watched the prequel series yet, but I intend to.
Or if you don't want to bother having to track down the individual pieces, they're also re-cutting the content into a two-hour feature film to be released in 2010.
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