Ben Mauro is no stranger to creating worlds. His professional resume reads like a “who’s who” of modern science fiction and fantasy: from the sprawling landscapes of “Halo: Infinite” and “Call of Duty” to the gritty, futuristic textures of Neill Blomkamp’s “Elysium.” He even spent five years contributing to the visual identity of Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit Trilogy.”
However, Mauro is now pivoting from being a piece of the creative puzzle to building the entire board. His new project, the “Huxley” graphic novel series (Thames & Hudson, 2025), is not just a book series—it is an attempt to launch a massive, multi-platform transmedia universe.
Building a Universe: More Than Just a Graphic Novel
Mauro’s goal is lofty: he aims to create a franchise that sits alongside giants like Star Wars, Dune, and Warhammer 40K. Unlike traditional comic books, “Huxley” is being designed from the ground up to expand into animation, video games, toys, and collectibles.
The latest installment, Huxley: The Oracle , serves as a narrative prequel to the main saga. Set on the desert planet FURY-7, the story follows Max, an elite Ronin soldier, as he navigates a world dominated by the “Oracle Empire.” Amidst the escalating AI Wars, Max uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the very fabric of his reality.
A “Cinematic” Approach to Sequential Art
What sets “Huxley” apart is Mauro’s background in high-end production. Having spent decades in the “arms race” of film and game design—where the pressure to be faster and more realistic can sometimes strip the soul out of art—Mauro views the graphic novel as a way to return to his roots of pure creation.
He applies a director’s lens to the medium:
– Visual Storytelling: He treats the page like a film set, using “thumbnails” to ensure the reader’s eye flows naturally through the panels.
– A Global Melting Pot: The aesthetic is a sophisticated blend of influences, ranging from the French “Heavy Metal” style and Mœbius to Japanese masters like Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke ) and the cyberpunk grit of Akira and Ghost in the Shell.
– AAA Visual Quality: To ensure the series meets “blockbuster” standards, Mauro has collaborated with industry heavyweights, including Syama Pedersen (Warhammer 40K: Astartes ) and Steve Chinhsuan Wang (Gears of War 5 ).
The Transmedia Strategy
The modern entertainment landscape is increasingly driven by “IP” (Intellectual Property) that can live across multiple screens. By creating a richly illustrated, lore-heavy graphic novel first, Mauro is essentially performing the “heavy lifting” for future studios. He is providing a proven visual and narrative blueprint that can be easily adapted into a high-budget animated series or a AAA video game.
“We’re definitely getting into adaptations and exploring different things in games and animation to find what might be the most interesting first big product people can enjoy,” Mauro explains.
Conclusion
By leveraging his deep expertise in Hollywood production and gaming, Ben Mauro is attempting to bridge the gap between traditional graphic novels and massive sci-fi franchises. Whether “Huxley” becomes the next great cultural phenomenon depends on its ability to translate its striking visual language into the wider transmedia world.
