Z2 ComicsZ2 Comics has partnered with The Grateful Dead to create a graphic novel that delves into the story of the group’s formation and emergence as one of America’s most important and enduring bands.
Grateful Dead Origins boasts an original story written by Chris Miskiewicz, with illustrations by Noah Van Sciver. The novel follows the group’s transformation from a bar band named The Warlocks to the influential flag bearers of jam-band culture in the U.S.
The novel will be released in early 2020, and will be available as both a limited, oversized hard-cover deluxe edition and a standard soft-cover version. The deluxe edition will be individually numbered and signed by the book’s creators, and will come packaged with a vinyl LP featuring a selection of previously unreleased tracks from the band’s early years. The standard version will offer access to a digital download of the early recordings.
Both versions of Grateful Dead Origins can be pre-ordered now. You can get a look at the cover art for the two editions at Z2Comics.com. According to the website, the deluxe version will ship in April 2020.
“Chris and Noah have captured the Dead’s sensibility in their words and images that bring to life on the page the earliest days of the Grateful Dead, from the band’s founding in 1965 through to Woodstock,” says the band’s audiovisual archivist, David Lemieux, in a statement.
“We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with such talented artists who have delved so deeply into the Dead’s history and origin.”
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