The Midnight: Shadows isn’t the only music-themed graphic novel coming from Dark Horse this year. This week the publisher also announced Spinal Cord, a heavy metal horror graphic novel written by David Braña and illustrated by Pahito.
It’s a tale as old as time — a heavy metal band wants to make it big, so they enter a competition that ends up being more than they bargained for.
“The idea of Spinal Cord had been in my head for a long time,” said Braña. “I wanted to write about a music band trying to make its way in today’s complicated industry. Pahito and I both love metal music, so after talking, the creative sparks flew for Spinal Cord. It has been a pleasure to travel Route 666 in his company. We have paid a well-deserved tribute to the music and we have let ourselves be carried away on an adventure with different styles of horror, with characters who feel and suffer and who try to achieve their dreams, like most of us. Now I just hope readers enjoy this journey too!
Dark Horse shared more details on the story:
The members of the heavy metal band Spinal Cord dream of making it big in the music world. When they are selected to participate in a prestigious touring competition sponsored by the famous metal label Pain Records, they jump at the chance to prove themselves. What they don’t know is that the horrors haunting their journey are very, very real, and the contest will challenge more than just their musical talent. In fact, it will alter their very perception of reality…
“When David asked me, ‘Do you like heavy metal? Because I want you to draw a comic about a band facing zombies, vampires and other monsters,’ I had to pause Chaos A.D. by Sepultura, because I was so excited that I couldn’t listen to music and read at the same time,” said Pahito. “All the fantastical elements that I like the most come together in this project. Right away I began to develop a great affection for the protagonists, their stories, and their motivations. As every successful band needs a dynamic relationship between its members, a good story needs action, terror, heavy metal, and a lot of friendship.”
Braña and Pahito, whose real name is Pablo Cialoni, worked together on Tamia Et Les Memoires Du Dragon (Tamia and the Memoirs of the Dragon), which was published by Akileos in France. You can see more of Pahito’s artwork on Behance. Braña has previously written the Evil War and Lady Enigma graphic novels.
The graphic novel will arrive in stores in September.