Murder Ballads Brings Original Soundtrack

Z2 Comics has another miniseries up their sleeves, but this one is coming with something special. The series by Gabe Soria and Paul Reinwand is Monster Ballads and while the title might hint it comes with a hair metal band, instead it comes with a soundtrack. The soundtrack is being put together by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. The rock n' roll noir story is about the music industry and redemption.

“Z2 Comics is committed to publishing quality comic books by truly talented creators that explore all genres and kinds of storytelling,” said Z2 Comics Co-Publisher Josh Frankel. “Just as we launched our first wave of comic books with Ian McGinty’s amazing all ages comic WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE series last fall, we’ll kick off our 2016 lineup in April with HYPER FORCE NEO, a new action packed all ages series from Jarrett Williams. In May, we’ll publish a science fiction adventure about intergalactic smugglers by the Eisner Award-nominated, XERIC award-winning cartoonist Kevin Colden and acclaimed writer/ artist Miss Lasko-Gross, who are collaborating for the first time. In June, we’ll publish the comic book debuts of two wonderfully talented creators, Samuel Sattin and Chris Koehler who are creating a gorgeous and heartbreaking post-apocalyptic story with dogs. And MURDER BALLADS promises to be both a major publishing and music industry event. These four titles couldn’t be more different, but they’ll all have the comic book industry talking in 2016.”

Full press release below.

Z2 Comics Announces The Original Comic Book Mini-Series MURDER BALLADS 

with an Original Soundtrack by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys

And New Creator-Owned Comic Books by 

Kevin Colden and Miss Lasko-Gross, Chris Koehler and Samuel Sattin, and Jarrett Williams

January 22, 2016) Z2 Comics, the acclaimed publisher that launched a line of creator owned comic books to widespread attention in 2015 with WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE, CARVER and ALLEN SON OF HELLCOCK, announced today the comic book mini-series MURDER BALLADS which will be accompanied by an original soundtrack by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and the Arcs, and three new ongoing comic book series for 2016.

In 2016, Z2 Comics will release the comic book mini-series MURDER BALLADS, by Gabe Soria (LIFE SUCKS) with art by Paul Reinwand (28 WARLORDS), a rock’n’roll noir story about the music industry and redemption. In tandem with the release of the comic book mini-series, Nonesuch Records will release an original soundtrack by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and the Arcs with tracks inspired by the comics.

The three new, diverse and eclectic comic book titles are HYPER FORCE NEO, a new all ages series from SUPER PRO K.O.! creator Jarrett Williams, THE SWEETNESS, the first collaboration by acclaimed husband and wife creators Kevin Colden (FISHTOWN) and Miss Lasko-Gross (HENNI), and LEGEND, the comic book debuts by novelist Samuel Sattin (THE SILENT END) and illustrator Chris Koehler (whose art has appeared in publications from The Atlantic to Wired).

“Z2 Comics is committed to publishing quality comic books by truly talented creators that explore all genres and kinds of storytelling,” said Z2 Comics Co-Publisher Josh Frankel. “Just as we launched our first wave of comic books with Ian McGinty’s amazing all ages comic WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE series last fall, we’ll kick off our 2016 lineup in April with HYPER FORCE NEO, a new action packed all ages series from Jarrett Williams. In May, we’ll publish a science fiction adventure about intergalactic smugglers by the Eisner Award-nominated, XERIC award-winning cartoonist Kevin Colden and acclaimed writer/ artist Miss Lasko-Gross, who are collaborating for the first time. In June, we’ll publish the comic book debuts of two wonderfully talented creators, Samuel Sattin and Chris Koehler who are creating a gorgeous and heartbreaking post-apocalyptic story with dogs. And MURDER BALLADS promises to be both a major publishing and music industry event. These  four titles couldn’t be more different, but they’ll all have the comic book industry talking in 2016.”

ABOUT THE TITLES:

MURDER BALLADS by Gabe Soria, Paul Reinwand

2016

A meditation on music, obsession and how far someone will go to see their vision become real, MURDER BALLADS follows the fall and reinvention of Nate Theodore, the dead-broke and deadbeat owner of a failing record label who is on a cross-country drive in the dead of winter, fleeing the wreckage of his business and trying to save his crumbling marriage. Nate is given an unexpected chance to reverse his fortunes when, during a stop in a desolate rust belt town, he “discovers” Donny and Marvell Fontweathers, two African-American brothers who play a raucous brand of doom-laden country blues. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and the Arcs is creating a MURDER BALLADS soundtrack, which will be released by Nonesuch Records.

Gabe Soria is the co-author of the graphic novel Life Sucks, published by First Second (2008). Life Sucks was picked for the American Library Association’s “Great Graphic Novels for Teens” list in 2009. Gabe has written for Batman ’66,Batman Adventures and Strange Sports Stories, and is the writer of the forthcoming “Regular Show” tie-in novel Fakespeare in the Park. His work as a music journalist has appeared in Mojo, the Guardian, the Oxford American,Blender and Arthur Magazine.

Paul Reinwand is an illustrator based in the Pacific Northwest, whose has worked on Aloha Hawaiian Dick, Big Hawaiian Dick, TMNT: Casey & April, and many other sequential art projects .http://www.konradwerks.com/

Dan Auerbach is the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of the Grammy Award-winning blues-rock duo The Black Keys. The Black Keys have headlined tours internationally and play to sold-out shows; and Dan released an album with his new band the Arcs last fall.

HYPER FORCE NEO by Jarrett Williams

April, 2016

HYPER FORCE NEO, from SUPER PRO K.O.! creator Jarrett Williams takes readers along on the adventures of Dean Masters, a 9^th grader tasked with leading a group of tech-savvy teens called Hyper Force Neo. Their Mission? Save New Sigma City and their high-school from the sinister, intergalactic vagabonds known as the Dark Edge. With the use of their Hype Suits, Neo Keys, High-tech weaponry, and over-sized Neo Mechs, Dean and his friends just may get the job done. The first issue of HYPER FORCE NEO will be a super-sized 48-pages. 

Jarrett Williams recently completed the third volume in his pro-wrestling/adventure series Super Pro K.O.!: Gold for Glory at Oni Press, which will be released in Summer, 2016. He is also working on a Super Pro K.O.! Special and a monthly, action/beat-em-up comic called Knuckle Up! for Oni Press. Jarrett has contributed stories for Yo Gabba Gabba: Comic Book Time at Oni Press, and covers for Adventure Time and Regular Show at Boom Studios. Jarrett was born in New Orleans, LA in 1984. He lives in Savannah, GA.

THE SWEETNESS by Miss Lasko-Gross and Kevin Colden

May, 2016

Set in the future, the first collaboration from the husband and wife creative team of Miss Lasko-Gross (HENNI) and Kevin Colden (FISHTOWN) follows two badass female intergalactic smugglers of a mysterious controlled substance who cater to the unique tastes of Alien drug addicts.  

Miss Lasko-Gross is the author and illustrator of the YALSA nominated Henni from Z2 Comics, Fantagraphics Books: A Mess Of Everything (named one of Booklist's  top 10 graphic novels of the year) and the YALSA nominated Escape From "Special."  Her artwork is currently featured in the traveling exhibit Graphic Details: Confessional Comics By Jewish Women. 

Kevin Colden is the author of the Eisner Award-nominated, XERIC award-winning graphic novel FISHTOWN. He is a veteran of the ACT-I-VATE and Chemstry Set webcomics collective, and his client list includes Discovery Channel Networks, Random House, DC Comics, Vertigo, Zuda, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Archaia Studios Press.

LEGEND by Sam Sattin, Chris Koehler

June, 2016

What if a biological terror agent wiped out most of humanity, and our domesticated animals were left in charge? How would our dogs and cats set about ruling and rebuilding the world? LEGEND is the story of animals uniting to fight mutant creatures and attempting to restore the world their masters destroyed.

Sam Sattin is a novelist, comics creator, and essayist. He is the author of the THE SILENT END and LEAGUE OF SOMEBODIES, described by Pop Matters as "One of the most important novels of 2013." His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Salon Magazine, io9,Kotaku, The Fiction Advocate, Publishing Perspectives, The Weeklings, The Rumpus, The Good Men Project, Litreactor,  Buffalo Almanack, SF Signal, and elsewhere. Also an illustrator, he holds an MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts and has a creative writing MFA from Mills College. He's the recipient of NYS and SLS Fellowships, and lives in Oakland, California.

Chris Koehler is an artist and illustrator working out of San Francisco. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Popular Science, Utne Reader, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wired, the Boston Globe, OnEarth Magazine, Stanford Magazine, and SF Weekly, among others. His illustrations have also been recognized by Communication Arts, American Illustration, Society of Illustrators, and 3x3. In addition to being a freelance brush for hire, Chris teaches in the Illustration and MFA in Comics Programs at California College of the Arts and regularly shows in galleries. He can often be found hunched over a sketchbook in a coffee shop.

All Z2 Comics will be distributed at comic book stores nationwide via Diamond and will be available digitally via ComiXology.