Def Leppard Hysteria Graphic Novel from Phil Collen

As a teen in England, Phil Collen was obsessive about all issues American. The music, be it rock or blues, have been main influences, however of specific curiosity to the guitarist of heavy metallic glam band Def Leppard have been the comics that have been being imported into London retailers within the Sixties.

It was in these retailers that Collen picked up copies of Silver Surfer no.1 by Stan Lee and John Buscema and The Hulk No 3 by Lee and Jack Kirby. He nonetheless has these copies, saved in a case in his house in London. The Hulk was considered one of his favorites, as was Batman.

“I actually obtained into the vibe of it and the tradition of it,” Collen says on a Zoom from Nashville, the place he takes a brief break from Leppard’s circuit as a part of the Journey for the Summer time Stadium Tour, which additionally consists of acts Low-cost Trick and The Steve Miller Band.

Now, Collen will be capable of make his personal influence on that comedian tradition. The guitarist, who has been with the band since its 1982 breakout Pyromania, has co-written a graphic novel that blends his musical profession and his love of horror.

Titled Hysteria, the identical title because the band’s 1987 album, nonetheless one of many best-selling albums of all time, the graphic can be revealed in spring 2025 from indie writer Vault Comics. Will probably be the second title from the corporate’s Headshell imprint, which options sequential artwork collaborations with recording artists Metallica, Slash, Pete Wentz of Fallout Boy, amongst others.

Hysteria is a horror story coping with the darkish aspect of rock stardom, and even includes a cameo from the band itself. It tells of Foz, the frontwoman of an indie band named Darkside who inherits her father’s property and discovers it comes with a half-remembered guitar from her childhood. The guitar is demonic, because of being constructed from some cursed wooden again in Mesopotamian occasions. It speaks to her, promising fame and success — and shortly, it delivers. When the band’s gear is stolen earlier than it is because of open for the band Def Leppard, Foz, in a nod to Bruce Banner seeing the ragefull Hulk unleashed, lets free her personal darkish aspect, so to talk, in an effort to get the guitar again.

“Poured out on the pages of this graphic novel is a narrative (Phil) couldn’t inform you in a tune that takes you to locations Def Leppard have by no means gone earlier than with their music,” says Vault CEO Damian Wassel, who helped put collectively the remainder of the artistic workforce of the e-book.

Eliot Rahal, who beforehand penned the ninja vampire story Bleed Them Dry for Vault, co-wrote the graphic novel. Alex Schlitz, who beforehand drew quick tales in compilations akin to YULE: Dreadful Tales for the Vacation Season and Sagas of the Protect Maiden Vol. 2, is dealing with the illustrations. Fabi Marques is the colorist and Andworld Design is lettering.

Collen stated that the co-writing course of was very very similar to working with bandmates. “It jogged my memory of songwriting with somebody you actually like,” he says. “You’d go, ‘What about this?’ And ‘What about this line? And we are able to comply with up with this melody.’ It was very very similar to that, bouncing concepts, and he would run with it.”

He provides, “If you hit on one thing, it runs away, and also you’re a part of the slipstream. It was very inspiring, I gotta say.”

The same feeling arose when working with Schlitz, who’s making her graphic novel debut after working within the anthology shorts world.

Hysteria will are available in retail and deluxe editions. A befitting a rock ‘n roll tour, there can be merch, together with Darkish Facet T-shirts. And Vault additionally had a custom-made guitar constructed to Collen’s specification that the guitarist will unveil in a while this summer season’s tour.

Try a preview under.