[Spoiler alert: if you don’t know the main twist of Fight Club, go watch or read it and then come back.]

Are you Space Monkey material?

On May 27th, you’ll be able to grab the first issue of Fight Club 2 and find out. (Spoiler: I’m not, because I enjoy warm puppies and care about the dwindling bee population.) Can’t wait until then? Are you Jack’s complete lack of patience? Dark Horse Comics has your back. Their Free Comic Book Day Sampler includes a 14-page story that connects the ending of the Fight Club novel with the new comic series.

Issue #1 is written by Chuck Palahniuk, the writer of Fight Club (and also many other amazing novels, such as Invisible Monsters and Haunted, my personal favorites). He wanted an opportunity to focus the story; for the reader to learn more details about the main character’s life. In issue #1, we see the main character, Sebastian, post-Fight Club the novel. He has married Marla (unhappily) and they have a son together. A copy of a copy, their son also seems to have inherited the destructive gene.

Marla and the main character are just as unsettled as ever, becoming a family hasn’t added any stability. We see Marla attending a support group for children suffering from progeria. The main character also attends a therapy session, where we first see him encounter Tyler. The author and illustrative team aren’t trying to hide the fact that these two are the same person, but instead play with the idea of a dual identity.

The theme of obstruction of identity, among other things, is evident throughout the first issue. Objects such as pills and rose petals break the fourth wall as they overlap faces and text and seem as though they’re sitting on top of the very thing you’re reading. I found myself trying to peek around them to understand the story, just as Sebastian was trying to understand everything around him.

The narrative style of the comic will definitely remind fans of the classic. Despite the intense imagery, the destruction, and the tough themes, it even made me laugh. Illustrations are provided by Eisner Award-winning artist, Cameron Stewart, and colored by award winning David Mack.

It’s worth noting that MTV snagged a great interview with Palahniuk. You can read it here. The interviewer took the opportunity to note that the “way we discuss gender” has changed significantly from when Fight Club first came out to now — so will we be seeing women treated or portrayed differently? To which Palahniuk noted that Marla’s character will really develop and be more of a “force of action” rather than just a catalyst.

The first 32-page issue of Fight Club 2 will be available at comics shops, select book stores, and digitally via the Dark Horse digital store and app on May 27th.

[Disclaimer: A review copy was provided for me to review this comic.]