The Grateful Dead have teamed with Z2 Comics to create a biographical graphic novel that will hit shelves in early 2020 and come with an exclusive record featuring previously unreleased music.
Grateful Dead Origins will focus on the band’s early days and, per a statement, their “transformation from a bar band performing as the Warlocks to becoming the creators of their own sound and forefathers for the jamband culture.” Chris Miskiewicz will write the book while Noah Van Sciver will illustrate it.
“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,” said Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux. “We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with such talented artists who have delved so deeply into the Dead’s history and origin.”
The deluxe edition of Grateful Dead origins will be released in hardcover and come with a special vinyl record featuring a selection of unreleased Grateful Dead music from the era the book covers (a track list has yet to be announced). The package will also include three art prints signed by the book’s creators. A standard edition will also be released in softcover and come with a download of Grateful Dead music from the era.
Grateful Dead Origins marks the latest music-based project from Z2. Previously, the comics publisher teamed with the Japanese outfit Babymetal for Apocrypha, Black Veil Brides’ Andy Black for The Ghost of Ohio and Skillet for Eden.