Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade, Vol. 2

This is pretty interesting because I did not realize this was tied-in to a musical project. This whole concept seems to be gaining ground, with the Tori Amos Tattoo book and now this. I have not seen/heard either of these projects, though I may be able to get a copy of one or more of the Amory Wars issues for review (with or without the soundtrack), but this is kind of a cool idea.

One of the first sequences I did, I laid-out and drew while listening to Ride the Lightning and it was just a fight scene, so I blurbed-in the lyrics to Fade to Black. Of course, I was all of maybe 13, but the point is that sequential art and music do seem to go together, even if there is no good way to choreograph them. I wouldn't be surprised if some future projects are packaged together. Since most of us are my age and older, and I suppose at least some of you are/were into metal, you might recall that this is how Bolt Thrower got started (sponsored by Games Workshop, White Dwarf had one of those floppy records in an issue - the song was Blood for the Blood God and it sounded almost exactly like Kreator).

This is melodically official and from Evil Ink:

Claudio Sanchez, the creative force and lead singer of prog-rock supergroup Coheed and Cambria , returns to the universe of Heaven's Fence for The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade, Vol. 2. Issue #1 of the new comic book mini-series debuts in stores today.

THE AMORY WARS follows the science fiction/horror saga of the close-knit Kilgannon family, who are placed in the center of a cataclysmic terrorist plot led by the evil Supreme Tri-Mage, Wilhelm Ryan.

The comics, conceptually and lyrically linked to Coheed and Cambria's debut album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, bridge the entertainment space between music and comic books.

"THE AMORY WARS is a visual expression of the conflicts and relationships we explore in our songs," Sanchez said. "You don't need the comics or the story to understand the music, and vice versa, but together they compliment the overall vision of Coheed and Cambria."

Volume 2 completes the (Second Stage) story which began in Sanchez's first mini-series. It received rave reviews from both comic book and music fans, and was a best-seller in 2007. The new series is off to an even better start, "the numbers [of THE AMORY WARS vol. 2] are almost double where they were with vol. 1," said Image Comics' Joe Keatinge. "Image is thrilled with the improved success, and look forward to seeing Claudio's vision unfold to its completion." Currently, each comic sells over 25,000 copies, and the interest only grows over time.

Sanchez added that the new mini-series is full of surprises and material that fans will be love, because so much of the lyrics come to life in this volume, and "the new books also have a darker, more detailed look, closer to what I have always envisioned."

Acclaimed Argentine artist, Gabriel Guzman, adds a gritty visual edge to Sanchez's scripts. Covers are created and composed by Eisner Award nominee Tony Moore (The Walking Dead, Fear Agent). Sanchez publishes the 5-issue mini-series through his Evil Ink imprint. THE AMORY WARS continues to be distributed by Image Comics.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008