Vault Comics Starts Musician-Led “Headshell” Imprint

Creator-owned comics have been on the rise in recent years across indie (read: non-Big Two) publishers like Image or Legendary Comics. Much of those new books are from well established comics presences such as Saladin Ahmed or Christian Ward, but actors like Keanu Reeves and Oscar Isaac have also recently joined in on the fun. Celebrities jump to different mediums quite frequently, and now musicians will be making some comics of their own.

Revealed earlier in the week, indie publisher Vault Comics is launching a new comic imprint called “Headshell” that’ll feature comics with original stories that are inspired by the bands that are creating them. The first of the bunch will be Dying Inside from Fall Out Boy frontman Pete Wentz, writer Hannah Klein (Everything is Fine), and artist Lisa Sterle (Witchblood). Future comics in the imprint will be created by Redman, Def Leppard, Metallica, and the Beach Boys, each with their own creative teams to be revealed in the future.

Said Wentz in a press release, “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. “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.”

“We’re thrilled to bring that experience creating amazing, award-winning stories to Headshell in partnership with some of the biggest names in music,” continued Vault CEO Damian Wassel. “I can’t wait to share the Headshell line of books with the world.”

Of the various musicians, Metallica’s the one with the most prior experience with comics. Back in 2014, the heavy metal band teamed up with writer Jim McCarthy (Bad Company) and artist Brian Williamson (Hook Jaw) to create the biographical graphic novel Nothing Else Matters. Hopefully the comics from them, and the rest of these groups, expand their respective audiences and lead to more artists joining in on the trend.

[via Rolling Stone]

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