Z2 Comics have partnered with The Grateful Dead to release a new original graphic novel. “Grateful Dead: Origins” which explores the early days of Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Pigpen, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart’s band. With an original story written by Chris Miskiewicz (“Love is Love”) and illustrated by Noah Van Sciver (“Youth Is Wasted”), the book will release in a standard edition and a limited run collector’s deluxe edition.
“Jerry Garcia was an avid comic book enthusiast so it is incredibly fitting to have the Grateful Dead’s origin story told in graphic novel form,” says Mark Pinkus, President of Rhino Entertainment. Grateful Dead audiovisual archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux said, “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. We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with such talented artists who have delved so deeply into the Dead’s history and origin.”
Among their achievements The Grateful Dead was inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. They hold the world record for number of concerts with a final tally of 2,318.
The standard edition will come in a softcover version that will feature “an exclusive download” of Grateful Dead music from their early years to serve as a companion to the graphic novel. The limited deluxe edition is an oversized hardcover coffee table edition, featuring prints autographed by the comic creators. It will also come with a selection of unreleased Grateful Dead music from the era on vinyl.
“Grateful Dead: Origins” will be available in early 2020. You can pre-order both versions of the book here.
