Slash + Vault Comics announce a ‘Deathstalker’ comic

Tim Seeley, Jim Terry and Steven Kostanski join the GNR guitarist on the project that resurrects the 1980s film franchise.

Guns’N’Roses Guitarist Slash and Vault Comics, through their rock’n’roll Headshell imprint, are teaming up to bring the 1980s fantasy film Deathstalker to comics.

“I’m excited to be kicking off a new era of Deathstalker,” Said Slash. “From Tim Seeley, artist Jim Terry, writer-director-creature FX-wizard Steven Kostanski, and myself, our Deathstalker is a re-imagining of that fine specimen of ’80s sword and sorcery. With fantasy, you get a little of everything: horror, magic, sex, thrills, blood, guts, swords and weirdness. You know—all those things you can’t look away from. And that’s what we’re bringing. So—please—if you share my love of all things wicked, check it out!”

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Vault will publish music-inspired graphic novels through their Headshell imprint

Pete Wentz, Def Leppard, Metallica and more will rock their way into comics via the new imprint.

Vault Comics will team with several musicians for a new line of graphic novels called Headshell. Songwriter and producer Richard Rudolph, who has worked with everyone from Stevie Wonder to 2Pac, will “guide strategy and artist relations” for the new imprint.

According to the press release, Headshell will launch with Dying Inside from Fall Out Boy co-founder Pete Wentz, co-writer Hannah Klein and Witchblood artist Lisa Sterle. Alternative Press has a first look at the artwork.

“Creating a new graphic novel with Vault and one of my favorite writers, Hannah Klein, has been an insane experience–in the best possible way,” Wentz said. “Between her perspective, honesty, and super dark sense of humor and Vault’s creative support throughout the entire process, I’m excited to share it with the world soon.”

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Weird Al’s songs come to comics, courtesy of Z2

Songs by the legendary singer will be adapted into comics by Peter Bagge, Michael Kupperman, Ryan Dunlavey, Bob Fingerman and more.

Weird Al Yankovic, the legendary parody/humor songwriter known for such classics as “Eat It” and “Amish Paradise,” will have his songs adapted into comics by some of the industry’s best talent.

Z2 Comics will release The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic as a softcover and hardcover, featuring cover art by Drew Friedman and Mike & Laura Allred.

“It’s such an incredible honor to see my song lyrics brought to life by some of my all-time favorite cartoonists and illustrators,” Yankovic said. “I’ve actually been playing the long game—the only reason I spent four decades in the music business is so that one day I could have my very own graphic novel.”

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Smash Pages Playlist: Happy Batman Day

Get ready to dance — Batdance! — with a list of songs about your favorite millionaire vigilante.

Break out your cape and cowl and get ready to do the Batusi — it’s Batman Day, as declared by the fine folks at DC and Warner Bros., so we’re back with another Smash Pages playlist featuring songs about the Dark Knight, his partners and even his villains.

So maybe skip going to the movies with your parents today and instead stay in and jam to songs about Bill Finger and Bob Kane’s most famous creation. Enjoy, and let us know if we missed any of your favorite Spider-tunes in the comments below.

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Rosenberg + Boss’s ‘What’s the Furthest Place From Here?’ coming in November

Each issue will come in a standard edition and a deluxe one that will include a vinyl single.

Matthew Rosenberg and Tyler Boss, creators of 4 Kids Walk into a Bank, are getting the band back together for What’s the Furthest Place From Here?, which will debut from Image Comics in November.

The series was originally teased during the 2018 Image Expo and is about a gang of children living in the ruins of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, searching for hope and vinyl. It’ll kick off with a triple-sized first issue, and they’re also planning a deluxe version that’ll include a vinyl single with new music from Jawbreaker’s Blake Schwarzenbach and California rock band Joyce Manor.

“We knew whatever we did after 4 Kids would have to be something ambitious and crazy, but we also needed it to feel like something that only Tyler and I could make,” Rosenberg said. “I feel like we really accomplished all of that here.”

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Smash Pages Playlist: Happy Spider-Man Day

Take a look, overhead: Smash Pages presents your 2021 Spider-Man playlist.

According to the calendar, today is Spider-Man Day, based on the cover date of Amazing Fantasy #15, which saw the debut of Peter Parker as Spider-Man. Now if you ask some folks, Spider-Man Day should technically fall in either May or June, when the comic was actually published back in 1962, but we’ll go with the socially acceptable Aug. 1 — because who wants to argue with what’s trending on Twitter?

In any event, Happy Spider-Man Day; in honor of the wall-crawler, we’ve put together a playlist of songs that pay tribute to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s most famous creation. Enjoy, and let us know if we missed any of your favorite Spider-tunes in the comments below.

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Z2, Chuck D team up for ‘Apocalypse 91: Revolution Never Sleeps’ graphic novel

The graphic novel anthology will draw inspiration from the Public Enemy album ‘Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Back.’

Chuck D of Public Enemy has teamed up with Z2 Comics for a new graphic novel, Apocalypse 91: Revolution Never Sleeps, which is inspired by their album Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Back.

The anthology will include “an array of speculative fiction stories” according to Rolling Stone, with contributions from Evan Narcisse, Regine Sawyer, Che Grayson, Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Koi Turnbull, Carlos Olivares and Butch Mapa. Chuck D will also contribute artwork to the project.

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‘Dark Nights: Death Metal’ soundtrack available now

Mastodon, Manchester Orchestra, Soccer Mommy, Grey Daze and more provide tracks inspired by the comic series.

The soundtrack for Dark Nights: Death Metal has arrived on digital music platforms, featuring new tracks by Mastodon, Denzel Curry, Manchester Orchestra, Chelsea Wolfe, IDLES, Soccer Mommy, Grey Daze and more.

The soundtrack serves as a companion piece to the DC’s big event series by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and man others. It was executive produced by Tyler Bates, and each track features lyrics directly inspired by the text. Bates also produced a series of stop-motion comics featuring some of the songs with voice overs.

Here’s the track by Soccer Mommy, which was released as a single and video:

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‘Death Metal’ soundtrack arrives this summer

Mastodon, Denzel Curry, Manchester Orchestra and more provide tracks for the album that ties into the DC Comics event series.

As announced at last year’s DC FanDome, Dark Nights: Death Metal is getting a soundtrack, a joint production between DC and Loma Vista Records. The soundtrack will arrive on digital platforms on June 18, with a physical release set for July 16.

The album is executive produced by Tyler Bates and will feature tracks from Mastodon, Denzel Curry, Manchester Orchestra, Chelsea Wolfe, IDLES, Soccer Mommy and more.

“This soundtrack and motion-comic series was made by fans of comics, for fans of comics and music,” said Bates, who previously worked on the soundtracks for the films John Wick, Guardians of the Galaxy and Watchmen. “Dark Nights: Death Metal is next-level storytelling by two incredibly talented artists in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. The visual aspect of this comic is entirely compelling, and resonates throughout each song on the soundtrack.”

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Z2 to publish ‘Jimmy Eat World: 555’

The new graphic novel based on one of the band’s music videos will arrive in May.

Z2 Comics has teamed up with rock band Jimmy Eat World for the upcoming comic Jimmy Eat World: 555, an oversized issue written by Alex Paknadel (Arcadia, Friendo) and Jimmy Eat World vocalist/guitarist Jim Adkins, with art by Koren Shadmi (Bionic).

The project draws inspiration from the video for the song “555,” which is on the band’s 2019 album Surviving.

“There was a fair bit of world-building around the characters for the ‘555’ music video and it felt too interesting to end the story there,” Adkins said. “It screamed for a comic adaption. I gave Alex Paknadel the basics of the character backstories and he was able to conceptualize an amazing world that Koren Shadmi perfectly illustrated.”   

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Fantagraphics to publish Tenacious D’s ‘Post-Apocalypto’ graphic novel

Jack Black and Kyle Gass bring their unique brand of musical humor to comics.

Jack Black and Kyle Gass, a.k.a. the comedy metal duo known as Tenacious D, will make the jump to comics later this year with a project written by the duo and drawn (really!) by Black.

The graphic novel, Post-Apocalypto, will arrive in stores in September from Fantagraphics.

“When we finished this book there was only one publisher we ever really considered,” Tenacious D said in a press statement. “Fantagraphics has been the shining beacon of creativity in comic books for decades. We are thrilled to release our magnum opus with the undisputed greatest and best comic book publisher in the world. Fantagraphics 4 life.”

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Dan Abnett pens a song about ‘Rai’

The Valiant title gets a theme song, courtesy of its writer and the band A Sound of Thunder.

Valiant Entertainment will revive Rai on Wednesday with a new title, by Dan Abnett and Juan José Ryp. But Abnett isn’t just writing the series; he also wrote a Rai theme song that’s been recorded by the metal band A Sound of Thunder.

You can hear a snippet of the song, titled “Break Free,” below:

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