You wanted the best, you got the best! KISS is returning to comics this October.
This October, KISS returns to comic books via a new Dynamite series written by Amy Chu, and with art by Kewber Baal. KISS is probably the most visible band across pop culture to licensing deals from action figures to coffins. They have a long history in comic books and in October, Chu and Baal will reintroduce them in a new, darker, science fiction story. Dynamite’s official description finds the band embarking on a mission to “uncover the truth about the mysterious Council of Elders and their underground home, the city of Blackwell”.
The series appears to be inspired by Music from The Elder, Kiss’s huge flop of an album from 1981. It was a concept album/a soundtrack to a film that didn’t exist, and it bombed so spectacularly that it, essentially, led to the band taking their makeup off in an attempt to salvage their career. It is usually spoken about, even by the band itself, as a colossal failure. The fact that it is where the series is drawing inspiration from is unusual, if not fascinating.
Writer Amy Chu had this to say about the series:
“What is the power of KISS? I was having breakfast recently with the fabulous writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. When she found out I was writing this series, it was like firecrackers had been set off in the restaurant, she was so excited. So I’m doing this not just for the hardcore fans but also the new ones, like her children. It’s a huge challenge. KISS is iconic. Legendary. It’s global and cross-generational. So much has been done before with KISS in comics, a LOT of fun and crazy stuff, so for this series, I thought, why not go more serious? For research, I hunkered down and listened to the 1981 album Music from ‘The Elder’ several times. Like the movie Blade Runner, which came out around the same time, people didn’t know what to make of it. If that album came out now, I think it would be entirely different reception. So this storyline is more focused on mythology, heroism, and legend, and inspired by themes, lyrics, and song titles from that album.”
With the launch, there will be ten different variant covers highlighting each member of the band featuring art by Dynamite regular Francesco Francavilla, Fernando Ruiz and Goni Montes. KISS began their comic history at Marvel but Dynamite seems like a good fit at this point. Dynamite really does respect their licenses, and just last year they published an Alice Cooper series that was well received by Cooper fans. “KISS” #1 doesn’t have an official release date yet, but it will drop in October sometime – I would bet close to Halloween.
