With so many canceled shows continuing in comic or graphic novel form, it’s safe to say Shadow and Bone is not exempt from the conversation. Shadow and Bone was canceled in November 2023, barely a week after Netflix released a connected game titled "Enter The Fold" during Geeked Week. And while a comic run would be a good way to see the show safely continued, it breaks my heart as a comic fan to say that a Shadow and Bone comic book continuation wouldn’t work—and it’s not what the show deserves.

Shadow and Bone was a fantasy TV show that premiered in 2021 and centered around the discovery of Sun Summoner Alina Starkov and her country’s political divide. Its second season arrived in 2023 after much anticipation. The adaptation combined the trilogy Shadow and Bone with the duology Six of Crows, both written by author and executive producer Leigh Barudgo.

Unfortunately, both Shadow and Bone and its potential Six of Crows spin-off were canceled by Netflix, despite the second season charting high enough to earn a renewal.

Shadow and Bone’s Appeal Was The Leap From Page To Screen

The Shadow and Bone Books by Leigh Bardugo Debuted in 2012

The first season of Shadow and Bone was highly anticipated, as fans would see for the first time how the show would bring the Grishaverse to life: from the frozen forests of Fjerda, to the crime-riddled, steampunk city of Ketterdam, to the all-encoming Dark Sea splitting the country of Ravka. I can confirm the anticipation ramped up even higher for the show’s second season, which saw the cast of Shadow and Bone widened to include Wylan Van Eck, a demolition expert; Nikolai Lantsov, second prince of Ravka; and twins Tolya Yul-Bataar and Tamar Kir-Bataar, heartrenders fiercely loyal to their captain.

Much of Shadow and Bone’s appeal stemmed from being a book adaptation. That word is important. While the story playing out on screen was enrapturing, it was the music composed by Joseph Trapanese, Emmy-nominated visuals created with CGI, stunning costumes done by Wendy Partridge, and brilliant performances from the entire cast that kept me glued to my seat. Every element of the TV show lent itself to a 3D feeling that vanishes when returned to the page.

Comics Deliver World Expansion Without Restraint

Four Shadow and Bone Books Are Left To Be Adapted

While Shadow and Bone remains a beloved book adaptation, there were several plot points that weren’t adapted, to my disappointment. Two large factors in the changes made when a book goes from page to screen are time and budget; those are obstacles a comic doesn’t have — provided they fit the adapted flow of the plot. A comic has a lot fewer limitations than a TV show does. It all comes down to story.

Due to the cancelation, several books in the Grishaverse remain unadapted, mainly the King of Scars duology and large chunks of the Six of Crows duology. A comic book continuation would allow for fans of the show to see — for the first time — the Ice Court of Fjerda, Shu Han’s modified winged soldiers, and the romance between Prince Nikolai and his general Zoya Nazyalensky. Forget budget restrictions, a comic book could go anywhere in the Grishaverse, leave no character behind, and deliver the Grishaverse wholly intact.

The Cast’s Performances were The Show’s Shining Stars

Shadow and Bone Casting Surprised Fans

Even though it would be easy to continue Shadow and Bone as a comic, it leaves out the very thing that made the show so special: Kaz Brekker beat up the Dregs is different from watching Carter’s Kaz Brekker slam his cane into a man’s head).

From the beginning of the show, fans were ready to hear iconic quotes from the books spoken out loud in the heat of a scene. While a comic book would allow for fans to visually see the lines spoken, it negates the desired effect of hearing them. Without being in live-action, the quotes lose their potential for vocal inflection, heated emotion, and the human touch to bring them to life. It’s the biggest blow the show faces if Netflix chooses to continue the storylines in a comic book continuation.

Since the cancelation, Netflix has remained silent on the show’s future at the streamer. Whether the live-action Grishaverse continues in any form is still up in the air. Fellow Netflix-canceled show, Fate: The Winx Saga, received its first graphic novel continuation in July 2024. Paramount’s recently canceled comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks will continue as a comic series by IDW, with the first issue set to release in November 2024. However, unlike the aforementioned series, the Grishaverse already has a graphic novel, titled Demon In The Wood, proving the Grishaverse’s adaptability to the comics medium.

Although a comic continuation could expand the Grishaverse to new limits, likely with stunning cover art, I have to say that Shadow and Bone as a show was never about the story: it was about bringing the Grishaverse into a world with more depth than a page can offer. The canceled show to comic pipeline works well for most, but not for this show. Shadow and Bone faces many obstacles on its path to revival, but it would be well worth the effort.