LOS ANGELES, CA— Z2 Comics continues to define the relationship between music and comics; bringing together the comics and music communities across genres for biographical works, exciting original concepts, album tie-ins, and more. Today’s announcement pairs this groundbreaking publisher with Ohio’s hardcore stalwarts Beartooth for the official prequel to their brand-new album, Below.
Following up on last week’s release of their brand new album, amidst rave reviews, The Journey Below serves as a prequel to the pummeling sounds of Below; the world of Barry, its demon overlord.
"It rips!" — Stereogum
"A superlative sound" — Forbes
"Bursting with style, substance, and flair" — Loudwire
"Next level heavy" — Knotfest
"Below'is deliberately heavier than anything Beartooth have ever done" — NME
"After going to hell and back, Beartooth come into their own once more and deliver their most raw, honest and raucous offerings to date" — Rock Sound
“Proof that Caleb Shomo is one of his generation’s most remarkable songwriters: the deeper he dives, the higher Beartooth climb” – Kerrang
Beartooth’s Oshie Bichar says “Storytelling has always been something we’ve wanted to dive into as a band. Our goal is to build a universe full of adventure for Beartooth fans to explore.”
The story behind the myths of Beartooth’s album Below is brought to life as Barry awakens corporate drone Lita’s memory of how alive the world once was before the cold forces of the corporate world outlawed rock, reminding her of who she truly was, and who she could be again. Told by #1 New York Times best-selling author Tony Lee with the members of Beartooth, The Journey Below is a powerful tale reminding us of the vital power contained within every chord and beat of a song.
Tony Lee says “I’ve been a fan of Beartooth since Aggressive came out, and I’m over the moon to work with them on this story. The world of Below is a place I’ve wanted to visit a lot during the last year, and now I get to share it with everyone.”
Beartooth will bring their new antihero and mascot Barry to comics this fall in Beartooth: The Journey Below, the official companion to their brand new album, available to preorder now in both a standard softcover and hardcover formats, as well as slipcase, deluxe and super deluxe editions featuring exclusive prints and vinyl.
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, Beethovenand Charlie “Bird” Parker. In 2021, Z2 will publish graphic novel tie-ins to essential albums by The Doors, King Diamond, Ronnie James Dio, All Time Low with many more to be announced in the coming months.