Michael Chiklis introduced the comic book series, Pantheon, at WonderCon, one of the the United Sates leading comics and pop culture conventions.

Created by Chiklis, Anny Simon Beck, and acclaimed comics writer, Marc Andreyko, Pantheon is a dark and stylised story of ancient Greek gods returning to a ravaged, chaotic near-future Earth, where they battle for the fate of mankind.

“As a kid, Greek Gods were very real to me, so the chance to bring my childhood heroes and villains to life in the modern world is irresistible,” said Chiklis, a third generation Greek-American. “Besides, I couldn’t say no to Zeus. . . no one in the family would ever talk to me again.”

The five-issue series pits Zeus’s fellow gods against the Titans in an epic battle of good versus evil, and father versus son. Breaking the golden rule of Greek mythology – to never reveal themselves – the gods Zeus, Aphrodite, Pandora, Cronus, Prometheus and Jason return to their timeless battles, as Armageddon nears.

Working closely with Chiklis, Beck and Andreyko will be rising star artist, Stephen Molnar, while the Sharp Brothers provide striking covers for the series. Launching at WonderCon, IDW, Chiklis, hosted a signing as well as a panel for Pantheon at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

“It’s not a bad idea to make yourself into a comic character,” Chiklis joked during an un-moderated, early evening panel discussion with “Pantheon” scripter Marc

Andreyko, a writer best known for his work on DC’s Manhunter and Torso, a graphic novel retelling of the Cleveland Torso Murderer who dismembered Ohio drifters in the mid 1930s.Pantheon is set in the near future where Miami is half-submerged due to melting polar icecaps and Olympian gods battle the ancient Titans as the world edges into Armageddon.

“I’ve always wanted to do something in the area of the Greek Gods,” Chiklis said, “but so many people were doing projects that really dealt with the classical Greek

Gods and I always thought of doing something with the Greek Gods in a modern context.”

After Chiklis developed the idea with his collaborator Anny Simon Beck, he “went through the arduous task of looking for the right writer.” He arrived upon Andreyko.

“There were certain peoples’ work that I liked,” Chiklis explained. “Marc Andreyko is one of them.”