This Halloween, Z2 Comics and Grammy-winning rock band Halestorm will transform the group’s barbed riffs and evocative narratives into sequential art for Hyde Manor, a harrowing descent into one woman’s fight with the darkest parts of herself. Twins Brittany and Brianna Winner (the Twin Soul series), artist Sara Scalia, and colorist DJ Alonso weave a tale of the celebrated group as they seek refuge in the titular Hyde Manor - a sprawling gothic estate perched on the remote end of the Oregon Coast.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2012 EP Hello, It’s Mz Hyde and its ensuing LP, The Strange Case Of…, the Hyde Manor graphic novel depicts the members of Halestorm encountering sinister doppelgängers of themselves. Within the decrepit halls of Hyde Manor, mirror reflections independently talk back and photographs transform to reveal sordid prophecies, leading the band to slowly succumb to madness while recording a new album. The tale creaks and twists with doom-filled revelations, perfectly tied to Halestorm’s scorching discography.
“I’m so incredibly excited that this is finally happening,” says Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale. “We are releasing a graphic novel! Penned by our beautiful badass friends the Winner Twins and featuring a few of our favorite artists, the story takes you down a rabbit hole of good and evil. An epic battle of Darkness vs Light. Is it truth? Is it fantasy? You decide!”
“We’ve enjoyed Halestorm’s music for many years; being entrusted to co-create a world and story based on their work is truly an honor,” co-writer Brianna Winner continues. “We wanted to create a story that reflects not only their music, but also their individual personalities.”
“The graphic novel will be a dark, paranormal mystery starring the band members as the main characters,” co-writer Brittany Winner elaborates. “The journey that unfolds will mirror their individual artistic journeys, so each of their personalities will really be able to shine.”
Z2 Comics and Halestorm present Hyde Manor in both softcover and hardcover formats, as well as oversized hardcover deluxe, and an oversized hardcover deluxe edition. Alison Sampson provides cover art. Deluxe Editions include gallery-ready prints courtesy of fan artist Egidija Guobyte, as well as a Lzzy Hale/Ms. Hyde two-sided coin, Ms. Hyde special edition Collector’s Card in a plastic frame, and an exclusive Halestorm: Hyde Manor Deck of Cards. Pre-order here.
Halestorm, who will release their fifth studio album, Back From The Dead, on May 6, recently announced new US headline dates in May, their first US shows since the conclusion of their co-headline dates with Evanescence in January.
Kicking off May 10 in Billings, Montana, and running through May 30 in Missoula, the dates, which include festival stops at St. Louis’s Point Fest on May 21 and Daytona Beach’s Welcome to Rockville on May 22, will include various openers, including rock icons Stone Temple Pilots; Mammoth WVH, the hard rock band fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen; and Southern rock staples Black Stone Cherry. A full itinerary with support listed for each date is available below.
Tour dates:
May
10 - Billings, MT - First Interstate Arena*#+
11 - Casper, WY - Ford Wyoming Center*#+
13 - Council Bluffs, IA - Stir Cove at Harrah’s#+
14 - Wichita, KS - WAVE#
17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE*+
18 - Columbus, OH - Kemba Live!*+
21 - St. Louis, MO - Pointfest
22 - Daytona Beach, FL - Welcome to Rockville
24 - Evansville, IN - Ford Center*+
25 - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Theater*+
28 - Moorhead, MN - Bluestem Amphitheater*+
30 - Missoula, MT - Kettlehouse Amphitheater*+
* Stone Temple Pilots supporting
# Mammoth WVH supporting
+ Black Stone Cherry supporting
Back From The Dead is available in multiple formats for fans to pre-save and pre-order, here.
Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Mastodon, Alice in Chains) with co-production by Scott Stevens (Shinedown, Daughtry, New Years Day), Back From The Dead quickly evolved from songwriting exercises into a matter of survival for the band.
Lead singer Lzzy Hale says, “We started writing this album about three months B.C. (Before COVID). Once we went into lockdown and were unable to perform and tour, I fell into a dark place and something of an identity crisis. This album is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss. It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery, and still maintaining faith in humanity.”
Back From The Dead tracklisting:
"Back From The Dead"
"Wicked Ways"
"Strange Girl"
"Brightside"
"The Steeple"
"Terrible Things"
"My Redemption"
"Bombshell"
"I Come First"
"Psycho Crazy"
"Raise Your Horns"
"The Steeple" video:
"Back From The Dead" video:
(Photo - Jimmy Fontaine)
