Day: January 30, 2021

Mail Call | Z2 to publish graphic novel inspired by All Time Low

Plus: news from Image, AdHouse, Dark Horse, BOOM! Studios and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from comics publishers in our mailboxes recently that we haven’t already covered. Hit the links for more information.

Z2 Comics has announced another music-related collaboration, this time with the pop-punk band All Time Low. In June, the publisher will release a graphic novel inspired by the 2017 album Last Young Renegade.

“When we wrote our album ‘Last Young Renegade’ we imagined an entire world separate of our own, almost a “what if” version of All Time Low, both with our musical sound and with the visual narrative we put together around it” says All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth. “Creating ‘Young Renegades’ the graphic novel allows us to tell more stories in the universe we imagined and delve deeper into the mythos and thematic ideas that were at play when we were celebrating that era. ‘Young Renegades’ is another branch, another thread and another look into the LYR continuity through an incredible medium we’ve never collaborated in before. Working with the story-tellers and artists on this project has been an incredible new undertaking and we can’t wait for everyone to enjoy it with us.”

Young Renegades will be written by Tres Dean and Robert Wilson IV, with art by Megan Huang.

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Dark Horse to publish Roye Okupe’s ‘YouNeek YouNiverse’ graphic novels

Dark Horse will publish the first three titles this fall.

Dark Horse Comics and YouNeek Studios‘ founder Roye Okupe will team up to bring Okupe’s self-published graphic novels to a larger audience this fall. Dark Horse will re-publish three of YouNeek Studios graphic novels, which were originally funded on Kickstarter, with plans for new titles as well.

“What we are trying to do over the next few years is create a compelling and immersive universe with our own twist. How? Well, the YouNeek YouNiverse is a massive, interconnected universe of sci-fi, fantasy and superhero content spread across multiple timelines with stories told from an African perspective. Is this ambitious? Yes. Is it impossible? Not at all,” Okupe said. “With this monumental partnership with Dark Horse and the impeccable history, support and infrastructure they bring to the table, we will finally be able to achieve our ultimate goal: create, for a global audience, content that empowers African creatives and storytelling.”

The Nigerian-born creator, who now lives in Maryland, wrote all the books in the “YouNeek YouNiverse,” and teamed with artists from Africa to create the books. This story from the Washington Post earlier this week reveals how the partnership was formed.

“YouNeek Studios is unlike anything in American comics today,” said Dark Horse CEO Mike Richardson. “Roye has brought together a host of amazing African talent telling African stories, and Dark Horse is honored to help further their reach.”

The first three graphic novels Dark Horse will publish are:

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