Z2 Comics is an American publisher of

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

, and

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

merchandise. Known for its music-related projects and partnership with musical acts, the company uses "a data-driven approach to identify acts with strong followings across all musical genres, then recruits ... comics creators to produce the works."

History

Zip Comics

The company began as Zip Comics, founded in 2010 by Josh Frankel with financing from an investor. The company's first publications were Frankel's own title, ''The Schizophrenic'', illustrated by Toby Cypress; and ''Harvey Pekar's Cleveland'', a nonfiction graphic novel written by Pekar and illustrated by Joseph Remnant; the book was co-published with

Top Shelf Productions Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia. Top Shelf pub ...

and released after Pekar's death.

Relaunch as Z2 Comics

The company was relaunched in 2014 as Z2 Comics, with its first two titles being graphic novel collections from

alternative comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which ...

creators

Dean Haspiel Dean Edmund Haspiel (born May 31, 1967 in New York City) is an American comic book artist, writer, and playwright. He is known for creating Billy Dogma, The Red Hook, and for his collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his ''American Splendor'' ...

and

Paul Pope Paul Pope (born September 25, 1970, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American alternative cartoonist. Pope's work combines the precision and romance of European comics artists with the energy and page design of the manga tradition. Pope's tw ...

. In the period 2015–2016, Z2 released a couple of other graphic novels and a selection of comic book

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

. In 2015, Frankel brought filmmaker Sridhar Reddy on board and formed Modern Prometheus, a division of the publisher designed to adapt comics to film and television.

Ian McGinty Ian McGinty (born May 6, 1985) is an American comic book writer, and artist known for his work on ''Adventure Time'', ''Bee and PuppyCat'' and ''Invader Zim''. He is best known for his creator owned comic ''Welcome to Showside''. Biography In 2 ...

's ''Welcome to Showside'' was one of the first Z2 projects targeted for this treatment.

Shift to music

In 2016, Z2 Comics "began collaborating with musicians to create graphic novels centered on unique stories and exclusive music." The first two such projects, published by Z2 in 2017, were ''The Wonderful World of Perfecto: With

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mass ...

and Friends'', and ''Murder Ballads'', which was accompanied by an original soundtrack by

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

and

Robert Finley Robert Finley (1772 – November 3, 1817) was an American Presbyterian clergyman and educator who is known as one of the founders of the American Colonization Society, which established the colony of Liberia in West Africa as a place for free Af ...

. 2018's ''Apocrypha: The Legend of

Babymetal (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal" and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrume ...

'' is one of the company's best-selling books. Z2's ''

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

Little Earthquakes ''Little Earthquakes'' is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, featuring the singles "Silent All These Years", "China", "Winter" and "Crucify". After Atlantic Records rejected the first version of the album, Amos bega ...

, The Graphic Album'' was nominated for three 2023

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

: Best Short Story for "Silent All These Years" by

David W. Mack David W. Mack is an American comic book artist and writer, known for his creator-owned series ''Kabuki'' and for co-creating with Joe Quesada the Marvel Comics superhero Echo. Early life Mack graduated from Ludlow High School in 1990, where h ...

, Best Anthology, and Best Adaptation from Another Medium. In the fall of 2022, company founder Josh Frankel left Z2, eventually joining

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

. By this time, the company had grown from three employees to 30.

Overview

Z2 Comics specializes in authorized partnerships. Musicians with whom Z2 Comics has worked include

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

Self Defense Family Self Defense Family (shortened to Self Defense and previously known as End of a Year) are an American rock band with members from across the United States and England. The band has released six full-length albums and several EPs and splits. Thei ...

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

, DJ

, John Cooper of

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...

Andy Biersack Andrew Dennis Biersack (born December 26, 1990), formerly known as Andy Six, is an American singer. He is the founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Black Veil Brides and is its only remaining original member. In 2014, he started a solo mu ...

Black Veil Brides Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio and is currently composed of lead vocalist Andy Biersack, rhythm guitarist and violinist Jinxx, lead guitarist Jake Pitts, ...

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They h ...

Machine Gun Kelly George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomps ...

Yungblud Dominic Richard Harrison (born 5 August 1997), known professionally as Yungblud (pronounced "Youngblood"), is an English singer, musician, songwriter and actor. In 2018, he released his first EP, ''Yungblud'', followed shortly after by the albu ...

, and

Oliver Tree Oliver Tree Nickell (born June 29, 1993) is an American singer, record producer, and comedian. Born in Santa Cruz, California, Tree signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his song "When I'm Down" went viral and released his debut studio album ...

. Many Z2 Comics graphic novels (or anthologies of stories) are accompanied by an original "soundtrack" by the artist/band in question. Examples include ''Murder Ballads'' (

and

, 2017), ''Genesis 1'' (

Poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, ''Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug opi ...

, 2019), ''Chasin' the Bird: A

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

Graphic Novel'' (2020; the deluxe edition of which was packaged with vinyl recordings of two previously unreleased Parker tracks), ''This is Where We Fall'' (

Mitski Mitski Miyawaki (born Mitsuki Laycock; September 27, 1990), known professionally by the mononym Mitski, is a Japanese-born American singer-songwriter. Mitski self-released her first two albums, '' Lush'' (2012) and '' Retired from Sad, New Caree ...

, 2021), and ''Superstate'' (

Graham Coxon Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Cox ...

, 2022). Other projects use classic recordings as springboards for comics anthologies. Examples include ''

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

Among the Living ''Among the Living'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax. It was released on March 16, 1987, by Megaforce Records in the US and by Island Records in the rest of the world. The album is dedicated to Cliff Burton of ...

'' (2021), ''

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

Morrison Hotel ''Morrison Hotel'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on February 9, 1970, by Elektra Records. After the use of brass and string arrangements recommended by producer Paul A. Rothchild on their previous album, ...

'' (2021), ''

Hotel Diablo ''Hotel Diablo'' is the fourth studio album by American musician Machine Gun Kelly. It was released on July 5, 2019, via Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records. The album was supported by four singles: "Hollywood Whore", " El Diablo", "I Think I'm ...

'' (2021), ''

, The Graphic Album'' (

, 2022), '' Blondie: Against the Odds'' (2022),

King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto s ...

's ''

Abigail Abigail () was an Israelite woman in the Hebrew Bible married to Nabal; she married the future King David after Nabal's death ( 1 Samuel ). Abigail was David's second wife, after Saul and Ahinoam's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later married ...

'' (2022), ''

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

40x40: Bad Reputation / I Love Rock-n-Roll'' (2022), ''

Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albu ...

Blows Against the Empire ''Blows Against the Empire'' is a concept album by Paul Kantner, released under the name Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship. It is the first album to use the "Starship" moniker, a name which Kantner and Grace Slick would later use for the band J ...

'' (

Paul Kantner Paul Lorin Kantner (March 17, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American rock musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era. He cont ...

, 2022) (which included a limited edition ''Blows Against The Empire'' LP on colored vinyl), and ''The Illustrated Al: The Songs of " Weird Al" Yankovic'' (2023). In addition to distributing its products through the typical book and graphic novel platforms, Z2 also utilizes a robust

direct-to-consumer Direct-to-consumer (DTC) or business-to-consumer (B2C) is the business model of selling products directly to customers and thereby bypassing any third-party retailers, wholesalers, or any other middlemen. Direct-to-consumer sales are usually tr ...

system via its website. Many Z2 Comics projects include standard and deluxe editions.

Titles published

Comics series

* Frankel, Josh and Toby Cypress. ''The Schizophrenic'' (1 issue, 2010) *

Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and is often cross-promoted wit ...

: ** ''Comics Lab!!!'' (May 2016) — contributions from Tyler Boss,

Jarrett Williams Jarrett Brandon Williams (born September 8, 1984) is an American comic book creator. Williams currently wrote and illustrated the ''Super Pro K.O.!'' Graphic novel, graphic novel series through comic publisher Oni Press, later co-illustrating th ...

, Chris Hunt, Alexis Ziritt,

Michael Moreci Michael Moreci is a comic author and novelist writing in the science fiction and horror genres. Notable original works include critically acclaimed military horror comic series ''Burning Fields'' and space comic series ''Roche Limit'', which w ...

, Matt Battaglia,

Miss Lasko-Gross Melissa Lasko-Gross (known professionally as Miss Lasko-Gross) is an American comics creator, known for her semi-autobiographical graphic novels ''Escape from "Special"'' and ''A Mess of Everything''. Early life Melissa Lasko was born in Boston ...

, and

Kevin Colden Kevin Colden is an American comic book writer and artist, as well as a webcomic artist. His work has been published in print by Zuda Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Alternative Comics, and Top Shelf Productions. In 2007 Colden received a X ...

** ''The Ballad of Franklin Bonisteel'' (May 2017) by Gabe Soria and

Warren Pleece Warren Pleece is a British comics artist. He is best known for his work at the DC Comics imprint Vertigo and the 2012–16 Irish novel series ''Zom-B''. Biography Warren, with his brother Gary Pleece, wrote and drew three issues of a self-publi ...

* Lasko-Gross, Miss and

. ''The Sweetness'' (4 issues, 2016) * Hunt, Chris. ''Carver: A Paris Story'' (5 issues, 2015–2016) * McGinty-Ian. ''Welcome to Showside'' (creator-owned series, 2015–2016) * Moreci, Michael and Matt Battaglia. ''Indoctrination'' (5 issues, 2016) * Sattin, Samuel and Chris Kohler. ''Legend'' (5 issues, 2016)

General graphic novels

* * * — co-published with

; illustrated by Joseph Remnant * — reissue of a 1999 self-published work * — originally a

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

; loosely based on

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

’s existential play ''

No Exit ''No Exit'' (french: Huis clos, links=no, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play begins with three characters who find themselves waiting ...

'' * — illustrated by Miguel Porto and Kendra Wells *

Music-related titles (selected)

* — art by

Takashi Okazaki (born March 18, 1974) is a Japanese manga artist, visual designer and graphic designer, most notable for writing and illustrating the manga series '' Afro Samurai''. Early life Okazaki was born in Kanagawa Prefecture and graduated from the Tama ...

Vasilis Lolos Vasilis Lolos (Greek: Βασίλης Λώλος) is a Greek comic book artist known for his work on '' The Pirates of Coney Island'' for Image and '' 5'', a self-published multi-national anthology. He also assisted My Chemical Romance in designing ...

, Rosi Kampe,

Rufus Dayglo Rufus Dayglo is a British comics artist working in comics, illustration, and storyboards. He is working for '' 2000 AD'' and Titan Books in the United Kingdom, and DC Vertigo, IDW Publishing and Image Comics in the United States. His ''Tank Girl ...

and Josan González * — illustrated by

Koren Shadmi Koren Shadmi (born 1981) is an Israeli-American illustrator and cartoonist. Career In 1998, at age 17, Shadmi released his first graphic novel in Israel, ''Profile 107'', a collaboration with mentor cartoonist Uri Fink. In 2002 Shadmi relocated t ...

* — illustrated by Scott Tuft * — illustrated by Audrey Mok, Logan Faerber, Hayden Sherman, Alex Diotto, Bill Masuku, Robert Ahmad, and Julianne Griepp * — deluxe edition packaged with vinyl recordings of two previously unreleased Parker tracks * — illustrated by Chris Hunt * — illustrated by Chris Hunt * — 15 stories featuring the work of 15 artists accompanied by an original album soundtrack of 15 new songs from

* * — 24 stories inspired by the 12 songs on the album, as well as the 12

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

that accompanied the album and its associated singles; contributors include

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

Marc Andreyko Marc Andreyko (born 20 June 1970) is a comic book writer and screenwriter, best known for the true crime series ''Torso (Image Comics), Torso'' he co-wrote with Brian Michael Bendis and for co-creating the character Manhunter (Kate Spencer), Kate ...

Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...

Derek McCulloch Derek Ivor Breashur McCulloch Order of the British Empire, OBE (18 November 1897 – 1 June 1967) was a BBC Radio producer and presenter. He became known as "Uncle Mac" on ''Children's Hour'' and ''Children's Favourites'' and provided the voice ...

Leah Moore Leah Moore (born 4 February 1978) is a British comic book writer and columnist. The daughter of comics writer Alan Moore, she frequently collaborates with her husband, writer John Reppion, as Moore & Reppion. Biography Moore was born to comics ...

Kelly Sue DeConnick Kelly Sue DeConnick (born July 15, 1970) is an award-winning American comic book writer and editor and English–language adapter of manga. Career Kelly Sue DeConnick was first introduced to the comics industry by writing copy for photos in adu ...

Neil Kleid Neil Kleid (born 1975) is an American cartoonist who received a 2003 Xeric Award grant for his graphic novella ''Ninety Candles'' (2004). Raised in Oak Park, Michigan, he lives in New Jersey Kleid wrote '' Brownsville'', a graphic novel about Mu ...

Lar DeSouza ''Least I Could Do'' (''LICD'') is a humor webcomic by Ryan Sohmer and Lar deSouza (also the creators of the fantasy webcomic ''Looking for Group''). The strip debuted on February 10, 2003. Past artists for the strip include John Horsley from ...

Colleen Doran Colleen Doran is an American writer-artist and cartoonist. She illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, including the autobiographical graphic novel of Marvel Comics editor and writer Stan Lee entitled ''Amazing Fant ...

, and

* — illustrated by G. Romero-Johnson; deluxe and super deluxe editions include a limited edition ''

Blows Against The Empire ''Blows Against the Empire'' is a concept album by Paul Kantner, released under the name Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship. It is the first album to use the "Starship" moniker, a name which Kantner and Grace Slick would later use for the band J ...

'' LP on colored vinyl. * — illustrated by Martin Morazzo, Victor Ibañez, Nelson Blake II, Amilcar Pinna, Rachel Smart, and Roberta Ingranata * — collaboration with

, illustrated by Goran Gligovic * — illustrated by Steve Kurth * — art by

Noah Van Sciver Noah Van Sciver (born July 7, 1984) is an independent American cartoonist. He currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina. Early life Van Sciver grew up in a large family in New Jersey. A self-taught artist, he was influenced by many comics, ...

* — sci-fi western graphic novel illustrated by Vincent Kings; comes with a soundtrack by

* — illustrated by Michael Shelfer * * — celebrating the 40th anniversaries of

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

's first two albums, '' Bad Reputation'' and '' I Love Rock & Roll'', bringing Jett's "songs to life as 20 vivid stories" by female writers and artists * — artwork by Chris Hunt, Tyler Boss,

, and

* — illustrated by Jen Hickman, Goran Gligovic,

, and Derek Jones * — illustrated by MinoMiyabi and Derek Jones * — contributors include

Howard A. Rodman Howard A. Rodman is a screenwriter, author and professor. He is the former President of the Writers Guild of America, West, professor and former chair of the writing division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, alumnus of Telluride Association ...

David Barnett David or Dave Barnett may refer to: Arts *David Barnett (writer) (born 1970), English journalist and author * David Barnett (composer) (1907–1985), American musician *David Barnett, Scottish musician and author, member of The Boyfriends and Luxem ...

Richard Kadrey Richard Kadrey (born August 27, 1957) is a San Francisco-based novelist, freelance writer, and photographer. Kadrey was born in New York City, New York. Fiction Kadrey has written fifteen novels, including ''The New York Times'' Best Seller ...

, and

J. H. Williams III James H. Williams III (born 1965), usually credited as J. H. Williams III, is an American comics artist and penciller. He is known for his work on titles such as ''Chase (comics), Chase'', ''Promethea'', ''Desolation Jones,'' ''Batwoman'', and ' ...

* — art by Masa Minoura and

; bundled with

's ''I C U: Music to Read To'', an ambient music album meant to be listened to while reading * — illustrated by GMB Chomichuk * — celebration of

's 40th anniversary with stories inspired by songs from ''

''; contributors include

Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...

Brian Posehn Brian Edmund Posehn (; born July 6, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's ''Mr. Show with ...

Gerard Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...

and

Mikey Way Michael James Way (born September 10, 1980) is an American musician and actor. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He is also the multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist of rock duo Electric Century. Mikey c ...

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. ...

Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti star ...

and

Rick Remender Rick Remender (born February 6, 1973) is an American animator, comic book writer and television producer who resides in Los Angeles, California. As a comic book creator, he is best known for his work on ''Uncanny X-Force'', ''Venom'', ''Captain A ...

* — illustrated by Paul Reinwand and Chris Hunt; accompanied by an original soundtrack by

and

* — illustrated by Orpheus Collar * — illustrated by Damien Worm * — takes twenty of

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...

's songs and illustrates them in comic form, each by different artists. Contributors include Drew Friedman,

Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...

Laura Allred Laura Allred is an American comics artist who is best known for her work as a colorist with her husband, the writer/artist Mike Allred. Awards * 1995: Won "Favorite Colorist" Wizard Fan Award * 1998: Nominated for "Best Colorist" Eisner Awa ...

Emo Philips Emo Philips (born Philip Soltanec February 7, 1956) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer and producer. His stand-up comedy persona makes use of paraprosdokians spoken in a wandering falsetto tone of voice. The confused, childlike deli ...

Sam Viviano Sam Viviano (born March 13, 1953 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American caricature artist and art director. Viviano’s caricatures are known for their wide jaws, which Viviano has explained is a result of his incorporation of side views as well a ...

Danny Hellman Danny Hellman (born August 2, 1964)
. dannyhellman.com. Retrieved September 27, 2015. is an American freelance illustrator and ...

Aaron Augenblick Aaron Augenblick (born December 28, 1975) is an American animator, director, and producer. He is the founder of Augenblick Studios, known for his work on '' Ugly Americans'', ''Superjail!'', ''Wonder Showzen'', and ''Golden Age''. Early life ...

Peter Bagge Peter Bagge (pronounced , as in ''bag''; born December 11, 1957) is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics ''Hate'' and ''Neat Stuff''. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced ...

Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Awards-nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...

, Gideon Kendall,

Michael Kupperman Michael Kupperman (born April 26, 1966), also known by the pseudonym P. Revess,Spurgeon, Tom"A Short Interview With Michael Kupperman,"The Comics Reporter (August 7, 2005). is an American cartoonist and illustrator. He created the comic strips '' ...

Ruben Bolling Ruben Bolling (born c. 1963 in New Jersey) is a pseudonym for Ken Fisher, an American cartoonist, the author of ''Tom the Dancing Bug'' and ''Super-Fun-Pak Comix''. His work started out apolitical, instead featuring absurdist humor, parodying com ...

Robert Sikoryak Robert Sikoryak (born 1964) is an American artist whose work is usually signed R. Sikoryak. He specializes in making comic adaptations of literature classics. Under the series title ''Masterpiece Comics'', these include ''Crime and Punishment'' re ...

Fred Harper Frederick Harper (24 November 1863 – 19 January 1937) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played fourteen first-class matches for Otago between 1886 and 1895. Harper was a stylish batsman and brilliant fieldsman who captained Otago in most ...

Bob Fingerman Bob Fingerman (born August 25, 1964) is an American comic book writer/artist born in Queens, New York, who is best known for his comic series '' Minimum Wage'' ( Fantagraphics Books). Career In 1984, while still a student at New York City’s S ...

, and

Hilary Barta Hilary Barta (born June 17, 1957) is an American comic book writer and artist. Biography Barta was born on June 17, 1957. His first comics work came in June 1982, when he helped Marvel inkers Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani provide inks f ...

. Yankovic selected artists for the book based on past experience in working with the artists, but short of proofing the final work, was otherwise hands-off for various editorial choices.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Z2 Comics) 2010 establishments in New York City American companies established in 2010 Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Comic book publishing companies of the United States Companies based in New York City Comics based on musical groups Cultural depictions of rock musicians Publishing companies established in 2010

History

Zip Comics

Relaunch as Z2 Comics

Shift to music

Overview

Titles published

Comics series

General graphic novels

Music-related titles (selected)

See also

References

External links