Hip Hop Icon, Visual Artist and Founder of Public Enemy Chuck D Collaborates on Original Graphic Novel With Z2 Comics and Creators Troy Jeffrey Allen, Che Grayson, Evan Narcisse and Regine Sawyer
 
LOS ANGELES, CA (June 18, 2021) – Z2, along with UMe/Def Jam, announces the first-ever graphic novel from hip hop icon Chuck D, Apocalypse 91: The Revolution Never Sleeps, the latest in the publisher’s series of graphic celebrations of music icons which pair some of most notable names in comics with music luminaries from all genres. The book will be available in November, marking the 30th anniversary of the album that inspired it, Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black. Nominated for a GRAMMY Award, the album hit #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and featured powerful anthems “Shut ‘Em Down,” “Can’t Truss It” and “By the Time I Get To Arizona,” a fiery retort to the state governor’s refusal to recognize the new Martin Luther King, Jr national holiday.  
 
“For the past few years, and especially during lockdown, I’ve been drawn back to my roots in visual arts,” says Chuck D. “This graphic novel is a new take on the artwork I’ve been making, growing naturally from the paint and pens that express what’s on my mind and reflect what’s happening around us. It was a real honor to have my illustrations alongside the who’s who of comic book artists.” In recent years, Chuck’s visual artwork has appeared in solo and group shows in galleries throughout the world and is part of the permanent collection at The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum Of African American History And Culture, including his design of the renowned Public Enemy logo. On Friday, he offers his new NFT collection on Foundation, declaring NFTs as “the new canvas” for visual artists. Chuck is a graduate of New York’s Adelphi University with a B.F.A. in Graphic Design.
 
Apocalypse 91: Revolution Never Sleeps begins in 1991 and explodes into far-flung futures with a series of speculative fiction stories by the industry's leading creators, including Evan Narcisse (Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Black Panther), Regine Sawyer (Dark Nights: Death Metal), Che Grayson (Batman: Urban Legends), Troy-Jeffrey Allen (Villain: All Caps), and many more. Revolutionaries in every millennium stand up and fight the power.
 
The poignant and inspired graphic novel inspired by PE’s 1991 album, will be released in the fall of its thirtieth anniversary with multiple editions available to order now direct from Z2 Comics, including limited edition vinyl and prints exclusively available to the deluxe and super deluxe editions. In conjunction, UMe will release a special limited-edition version of this icon LP, originally released in 1991 by Def Jam Recordings.  Standard softcover and hardcover versions available in finer comic, book, and record stores everywhere in November. Preorder your copy today.
 
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About Z2 Comics:
Z2 Comics is the premier destination for official music-related graphic novels, created in partnership with top-tier artists, musicians, directors and pop-culture icons. Distributed globally via Simon & Schuster, Z2 has collaborated with such diverse artists as Blondie, Elvis Presley, Gorillaz, Machine Gun Kelly, Sublime, Yungblud, Cypress Hill, Babymetal, Major Lazer, Rico Nasty and Paul Oakenfold as well as debut comic works by Grammy-nominated artists Sturgill Simpson, Poppy and Anthrax. Additionally, the company has tapped top talent for the official graphic biographies of such pop-culture legends as The Grateful Dead, Beethoven and Charlie “Bird” Parker. In 2021, Z2 will publish graphic novel tie-ins to essential albums by The Doors, Ronnie James Dio, King Diamond, All Time Low with many more to be announced in the coming months.
 
About Public Enemy:
Public Enemy have proven that rebellion is more than the sound of a musical genre, the culture of a social class or the color of a skin; it is an unmovable, unmistakable state of mind and heart. PE is hellbent on creating change where it is needed most. Determined to give voice to those who have long been ignored, unafraid to question institutional injustices, and intent on challenging any and all obstacles to social justice, Public Enemy have resisted with unprecedented intensity and eloquence.
 
Last year, the group released the critically acclaimed album “What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down,” reuniting them with their original record label, Def Jam and featuring “Fight The Power: Remix 2020” with Nas, Rapsody, Black Thought, Jahi, YG and Questlove. The album also included guest appearances by Mike D and Ad-Rock of Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Run-DMC, Ice-T, PMD, George Clinton and more. Their classic albums are the soundtrack to hip-hop’s rise as a form of social and political commentary. 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back was, and still is, one of the most important records ever made, with Rolling Stone recently naming it the #15 Greatest Album of All Time and The New York Times added it to their list of “25 Most Significant Albums of the Last Century.” Fear of a Black Planet--also named on the Rolling Stone list--features PE anthems including the original version of “Fight The Power,” “911 Is a Joke” and “Welcome To The Terrordome.” Most recently, SPIN Magazine named them to the #9 position on their “Most Influential Artists of the Last 35 Years” list. PE was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and received The Recording Academy’s “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2020. 
 
About UMe:
Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) is the global catalog and special markets division of Universal Music Group. Working closely in concert with UMG’s record labels, territories and operating companies, UMe provides a frontline approach to catalog management, an emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives and creating opportunities in new technologies.

  Discover the Shocking Truth About the Earth's Greatest Superheroes You
Thought You Knew in a New Series in July 2021
​
LOS ANGELES, CA (June 17, 2021) – BOOM! Studios announced today that SAVE YOURSELF! #1, the first issue in a truly magical new four-issue original series from the team behind Pandora’s Legacy, writer Bones Leopard (Identical), artists Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Just Beyond), and letterer Jim Campbell, that’s perfect for fans who grew up loving magical girls and are ready to step up and save the world, no matter who they have to face, has sold out at the distributor level the week of release!

In response to the overwhelming support from retailers and fans, BOOM! Studios has announced SAVE YOURSELF! #1 SECOND PRINTING, featuring brand new cover art by series artists Kelly & Nichole Matthews and available in stores July 14, 2021.

What if Magical Girls aren’t Earth’s champions after all? The world’s most beloved heroes Aoe, Thel, and Gen, better known as the Lovely Trio, first burst onto the scene five years ago when they saved Earth from a surprise space monster attack! Since then, everyone–including Gigi, whose brother died as a bystander in a Lovely Trio battle– has idolized them as superheroic pop icons. But when Gigi witnesses the Lovely Trio battling a monster firsthand, she sees something that causes her to question everything she thought she ever knew about her heroes!

“The amazing support of SAVE YOURSELF! #1 is making us all feel like superhero pop icons,” said Filip Sablik, President, Publishing & Sales, BOOM! Studios. “Bones, Kelly, Nichole, and Jim have turned the idea of Magical Girls upside-down in SAVE YOURSELF! and we can’t wait to share it with even more readers!”

SAVE YOURSELF! is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning BOOM! Box imprint, home to groundbreaking original series such as Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, and Noelle Stevenson; Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera and Celia Moscote; Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; Specter Inspectors by Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto; The Last Witch by Conor McCreery and V.V. Glass; Ghosted in LA by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan; The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes; Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad; Goldie Vance by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams; and Seen: True Stories of Marginalized Trailblazers.

Print copies of SAVE YOURSELF! #1 FIRST PRINTING may be available now exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.   

For continuing news on the SAVE YOURSELF! series and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.




About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios was founded by Ross Richie in 2005 with the singular focus of creating world-class comic book and graphic novel storytelling for all audiences. Through the development of four distinct imprints—BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, KaBOOM!, and Archaia—BOOM! has produced award-winning original work, including Lumberjanes, The Woods, Giant Days, Klaus, and Mouse Guard, while also breaking new ground with established licenses such as WWE, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Cartoon Network, and The Jim Henson Company properties. BOOM! Studios will also bring their original series to life through a first-look relationship with Netflix.
 
Web: www.boom-studios.com
Twitter: @boomstudios
Facebook: @BOOMStudiosComics
Instagram: @boom_studios

Kickstart THE DUST PIRATES

Full of heart and revolutionary action, The Dust Pirates will surely feed fans of Conan, Flash Gordon, and Indiana Jones to the gills! Lettered and edited by Chas! Pangburn (Spider King, Metalshark Bro, RIP You and Me). Batten down the hatches because The Dust Pirates Kickstarter runs out on July 17th! ​

June 16, 2021, (TAOS, NM) — Following the success of the celebrated Digital Lizards of Doom: Dizzy Doom Level 1, creator and Dizzy Doom Media founder, Gabriel Valentin, is excited to announce the long-awaited second graphic novel, Digital Lizards of Doom! Level 2: Commander E.K.O., is now available on Kickstarter! This unique graphic novel series, written by Gabriel Valentin with art and colors by Joe Kubert School graduates Armand Bodnar and Nick Nunez, will be a full-color 178 page, standard trade paperback that will feature exciting variant covers, and includes a foreword by Chris Killian (comicbook.com)!

It's a love letter to pop culture! A multimedia experience expressed through graphic novelization and music! In this world of sorcery and science, an evil robot (Commander E.K.O.) and an ancient witch (Warty Morda) attack the peaceful kingdom of Kragladon. It's up to our hero, Dizzy Doom, to retrieve a fabled weapon to bring peace back to not only Kragladon, BUT THE UNIVERSE! Follow the adventure inspired by action movies, Japanese storytelling, video games, and more. Oh, and there's a cyborg pirate cat! 
 “Digital Lizards of Doom! Level 2: Commander E.K.O. has been a dream to work on! Its an awesome mix of some great characters, amazing world building, and crazy fun adventure plots!” said Armand Bodnar. “Gabe has been so kind and supportive and I am glad that he trusted Armand and myself to bring his story to life.”  

“My favorite part of working on DLoD has been the collaboration,” said Nick Nunez. “The creative freedom I have been such controlling in shaping the visuals of this weird and this massive wonderful world has given me the ability to stretch myself artistically and created an environment where I feel I have been able to thrive. I love what DLoD represents in its creativity and it is such a marvelous vision.”

“For me, Digital Lizards of Doom is more than just a passion project,” said Gabriel Valentin.  “These characters have been taking up most of the space in my head since I was a teenager. Names may have changed here and there, but at it’s core it is still the same space-fantasy story that I have been trying to write my entire life. The level of talent that Armand and Nick have brought to the world of DLoD has exceeded all of my expectations.  hope you all enjoy reading this wild adventure!

PORTLAND, Ore 06/15/2021 — Look, we don’t know who killed Trigger Keaton yet, but we do know that the BEST CAR CHASE EVER PUT TO PAPER is going down in The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #2. Image/Skybound today revealed a first look at the hotly-anticipated issue from Eisner Award nominees Kyle Starks (Sex Castle) and Chris Schweizer (Crogan Adventures).

Like we said, someone murdered Trigger Keaton, the world’s most famous TV action hero. But to be fair, everyone kinda hated him. Trust us, you probably would’ve hated him too…but when it comes to solving this mystery, there’s no one better (well, that’s debatable) than his former television sidekicks.

The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #2  will be available at  comic book shops  and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, July 14: 

• The  Six  Sidekicks  of Trigger Keaton #2  Cover A by Schweizer - Diamond Code MAY210200
• The  Six  Sidekicks  of Trigger Keaton #2  Cover B by Afu Chan - Diamond Code MAY210201

For more info and updates, visit  www.skybound.com. 

Missoula MT (6/15/2021): After the biggest influx of post-Final Order Cutoff reorders in Vault Comics' history, the first issue of BARBARIC has sold out of a generous overprint at the distributor two weeks ahead of release. The debut issue of Vault's record-breaking series is being rushed back to print with a new cover by Nathan Gooden and Tim Daniel. 

The second printing of Barbaric #1 will hit store shelves on July 28th, the same day as Barbaric #2. It can be ordered at local comic shops everywhere using the Diamond Order Code APR219822.

Witchblood is co-created by best-selling writer Michael Moreci (The Plot, Wasted Space), and star artist Nathan Gooden (Brandon Sanderson's Dark One, Vampire: The Masquerade), with colors by Addison Duke, letters by Jim Campbell, and design by Tim Daniel. The full synopsis can be read below: 

Owen the Barbarian has been cursed to do good with what remains of his life. His bloodthirsty weapon, Axe, has become his moral compass with a drinking problem. Together they wander the realm, foredoomed to help any who seek assistance. But there is one thing Owen hates more than a life with rules: Witches.

Welcome to the skull-cracking, blood-splattering, mayhem-loving comic brave enough to ask: How can a man sworn to do good do so much violence? Hah! F***ing with you. It's just...BARBARIC.
ABOUT VAULT COMICS:

Vault Comics is an independent publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror comics, based in Missoula, Montana.