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It all started with an unassuming invitation to this new, highly secretive “immersive” experience preceding NYCC 2018. Ostensibly an alternate reality game, the induction ceremony for the Leap Year Society was concealed within New York’s nondescript McKittrick Hotel. The experience was my first taste of Reflector Entertainment’s new transmedia enterprise, Unknown 9.

Wildly ambitious in scope and density, for Unknown 9 Reflector has called on the talents of a plethora of experienced narrative and media development professionals. Among them podcast producer Terry Miles, comic artist Jae Lee, screenwriters Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken, novelist Layton Green, video game producer Noémie L’Éuyer, and television producer Tim Kring have all contributed in constructing an unparalleled cohesive and persistent entertainment IP. Reflector Entertainment’s CEO and co-founder Alexander Amancio is heading the vast undertaking, supported by Head of Development Rosana Roth and Brand Content Manager David Bédard.

The story itself centers around the legend of Emperor Ashoka’s 9 Unknown Men. The lore states that the Emperor, after an extremely violent campaign to subjugate a region of India resistant to his rule, vowed never again to raise an army in conquest. Instead he identified the nine most prolific intellects under his dominion and assembled them with the objective that each would compile a tome dedicated to recording the most advanced practices and wisdom of the ancient world.

Ashoka’s intention for the Unknown 9 was to conceal the greatest knowledge and protect those secrets that ignoble men could someday use to bring destruction to the world. Enter the Leap Year Society, a modern day conclave intent on discovering all knowledge the emperor sought to keep hidden by identifying the living successors of the original nine and securing their texts. Under the pretext of enlightening the world and benefiting mankind, the elusive group engages in clandestine ceremonies comprised of occult rituals.

All the smoke and mirrors amount to an entertaining enough diversion, and my time at the McKittrick was thoroughly enjoyable, though our press tour was slightly abridged to accommodate the venue. Subsequent Q and A sessions with story architect Kim Belair around the overarching narrative and veterans Mike Richardson and Jae Lee regarding the coming Dark Horse Comic series proved less than informative regarding chronology and release windows.

The Leap Year Society podcast written by Terry Miles, Unknown 9 Archives ashcan by John Ney Rieber and Jae Lee, live LYS Induction experience in NYC, and Institute for Higher Knowledge website represent the totality of the Storyworlds content available as of this writing. As an expansive property with so many moving parts, vagaries should be expected, so content availability may be subject to change. Launch dates for the television and comic series, novel trilogy, feature film, and console game are tentative, with the latter two projected at years from release.

Reflector Entertainment has produced a collection of high quality and immersive interactive content around the Unknown 9 and their dedication to crafting a diverse and engaging universe is impressive. Our press tour had the opportunity to hear the team discuss their various projects very frankly and present their passion and enthusiasm in providing a truly unique entertainment experience. They may not have been as forthcoming as I would have liked, but maintaining that mystique is an integral component of any occult conspiracy thriller. Stay tuned for updates on content releases as new information becomes available.

Begin your trip down the rabbit hole here.

Christian Davenport
Cable201@comicattack.net
Images by Przemyslaw Jendroska