The Matrix Comics

20th Anniversary Edition Cover

Volume 2 Cover

Volume 1 Cover

The Matrix Comics refer to a group of short stories, comics, and pin-ups set in The Matrix universe.

They were originally published on the official Matrix website from 1999 to 2003 as three series of webcomics with additional pieces of artwork, most of which were later collected into two volumes, published by the Wachowskis' company Burlyman Entertainment along with three comics never released on the internet.

In 2019, all previously released comics were reprinted in a single-volume collection, over 400 pages long: The Matrix Comics: 20th Anniversary Edition (with two minor exceptions, both webcomics which were never released in print form). It also included four comics that were not included in either of the previous two hardcover collections. For a full listing of all extant comic stories see the article for that collection.

Publication History

The comics' editor was Spencer Lamm. The Wachowskis contributed one script to the project, Bits and Pieces of Information, aspects of which were later included in The Animatrix short animated film The Second Renaissance.

• The Matrix Comics Series 1 (1999)
• The Matrix Comics Series 2 (2000–2002)
• The Matrix Comics Series 3 (2002–2003)
• The Matrix Comics Volume 1 (2003)
• The Matrix Comics Volume 2 (2004)
• The Matrix Comics: 20th Anniversary Edition (2019)

In addition, a number of the comics were printed individually in comic books:

• The Matrix: Comic Book Preview, featuring Déjà Vu which was to have been given out at the release of The Matrix in 1999
• A comic book was made by David Lapham for Free Comic Book Day 2002 which was reversible, having There Are No Flowers in the Real World on one side and Stray Bullets #2 on the other
• A preview comic book of The Matrix Comics Volume 1 which included only The Miller's Tale was printed for San Diego Comic Con 2003 and was also given away free to everyone who pre-ordered the volume

The Matrix Comics: 20th Anniversary Edition is the first hardbound collection for the comics and includes all The Matrix Comics stories from the first two volumes together with four previously unprinted stories. The four new-to-print stories are:

1. An Easy One
2. Day In... Day Out
3. Let It All Fall Down
4. Return of the Prodigal Son

Unprinted Comics

The comic Morning Sickness was not included in any of the printed collections.

The comic The Man Who Knew Too Much was initially published on the official Matrix website but was later silently deleted for unknown reasons. This comic is yet to be republished in print nor online.

Pin-ups

As well as comic strips there were a number of pieces of high quality artwork called pin-ups which were generally made by the artists for one of their own stories in a series. These were often released as a preview of the comic before it was available on the website.

• Woman in Red pin-up by Stuart Immonen
• Pin-up #1 by Vince Evans
• Pin-up of fetus pods by Geof Darrow
• Run, Saga, Run pin-up by Aron Weisenfeld
• System Freeze pin-up by Michael Kaluta
• Get It? pin-up by Peter Bagge
• Let It All Fall Down pin-up by Paul Chadwick
• Burning Hope pin-up by John Van Fleet
• Saga Talmer pin-up by Keron Grant
• The King of Never Return series 2 pin-up #5
• An Easy One pin-up by Tommy Lee Edwards
• Return of the Prodigal Son pin-up by Greg Ruth
• A Sword of a Different Color preview pin-up
• I Kant preview pin-up by Kaare Andrews

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External links

• Comics section of the official Matrix website
• The Matrix Comics section of the Burlyman Entertainment Shop