Z2 Comics 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 with art by Paul Reinwand, 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 and Miss Lasko-Gross, and Legend, the comic book debuts by novelist Samuel Sattin and illustrator Chris Koehler.
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.
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 9th 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 3×3. 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.
Mondo and acclaimed indie publisher Z2 Comics are releasing a limited edition Murder Ballads graphic novel and original soundtrack 10″ vinyl record release by bluesman Robert Finley and Grammy-Award winner Dan Auerbach. The Murder Ballads Original Soundtrack includes Finley and Auerbach’s cover of the classic Leadbelly song “In the Pines” and four original songs created specifically by Finley and Auerbach to accompany the upcoming graphic novel release Murder Ballads, the highly anticipated rock’n’roll noir graphic novel about the music industry and redemption by writer Gabe Soria and artists Paul Reinwand and Chris Hunt. The standard edition Murder Ballads graphic novel will be released by Z2 Comics this July for $24.95 and will include downloadable codes to the original soundtrack. The Limited Edition Murder Ballads Original Soundtrack and Graphic Novel from Mondo 
The Murder Ballads Original Soundtrack contains “In the Pines”, the iconic blues song performed by Leadbelly and four songs: “Bang Bang,”“Butter Sandwich”, “The Empty Arms” and “Three Jumpers.”
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.
Valentine’s Day is upon us and love is in the air for everyone.