Metallica, The Beach Boys and more team up with Vault Comics
American comic book publisher Vault Comics have announced a new graphic novel imprint labelled Headshell. For the project, they collaborated with a host of famous musicians and artists. These include Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, Metallica, and The Beach Boys, and they will all create individual works based on their stories and catalogues.
The first set will comprise five books, with rapper Redman and rockers Def Leppard completing the run. On the company’s website, the description of the new series reads: “Great musicians are storytellers. But some stories need to be told on the page. Headshell works with iconic recording artists to create unique graphic novels that resonate with artists and audiences.”
It continues: “Headshell graphic novels present original stories inspired by artists’ careers and music, giving fans an all new way to connect with the artists and music they love.”
None of the comics have been given a specific release date yet, but it has been confirmed that Wentz’s work, Dying Inside, will be released first. The bassist worked on it with writer Hannah Klein and Vault veteran Lisa Sterle. In a press release, he explained: “Creating a new graphic novel with Vault and one of my favourite writers, Hannah Klein, has been an insane experience – in the best possible way.”
Adding: “Between her perspective, honesty, and super dark sense of humour and Vault’s creative support throughout the entire process, I’m excited to share it with the world soon.”
Elsewhere, the title of Def Leppard’s book, Hysteria, was also revealed, alongside the confirmation that Metallica’s will get a release at some point in 2023. Speaking in his own statement, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told of his excitement: “The team at Vault are pushing boundaries and are bold storytellers. We are excited to partner with them.”
CEO of Vault, Damian Wassel also shared his thoughts: “We have one overriding goal at Vault: to bring readers the very best comics and graphic novels. We’re thrilled to bring that experience of creating amazing, award-winning stories to Headshell in partnership with some of the biggest names in music. I can’t wait to share the Headshell line of books with the world.”
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