The series has also developed an expanded universe. Three six-issue comic book miniseries have been published by WildStorm, a company under the DC Comics umbrella. "" depicts the early lives of John, Sam, and Dean Winchester, and shows how John became a hunter. "Supernatural: Rising Son", "a dysfunctional family story", details Dean as he begins following in his father's footsteps. While Kripke was heavily involved with the first series, the writer's strike prevented him from doing so with "Rising Son". "Supernatural: Beginning's End" deals with "the definitive events that led to Sam leaving his family to attend Stanford".