Z2 Comics has announced that it has teamed with the estate of late metal god Ronnie James Dio for a comic book adaptation of Dio’s beloved 1983 album Holy Diver.
Ride the tiger!
The graphic novel will feature an original storyline from Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) inspired by the album’s iconic cover artwork, explaining why the demonic Murray is throwing the priest into the ocean, and exploring who is truly the villain in the scenario.
“Steve Niles tells the story behind the Album cover Holy Diver, a story about how you can’t judge a picture by the way it appears, which is what Ronnie wrote many times in his songs; that you have to see inside the person and not judge them by the way they look or by what they wear” says Wendy Dio-Padavona. “Together with Scott Hampton’s amazing artwork they tell the story of Holy Diver, and I know Ronnie would have given his stamp of approval on this great graphic novel.”
“We have managed to work with some of the greatest legends in both comics and music, and a Dio graphic novel with a cover by the great Bill Sienkiewicz perhaps sums that up best,” says Z2 publisher Josh Frankel. “This is one of the most iconic heavy metal album covers in history. We are honored to pay tribute to the originator of the universal sign of the music that he has inspired since he first took the stage with Black Sabbath 40 years ago. Working with Wendy Dio directly to ensure it is true to his vision is the next best thing to working with Ronnie James Dio himself, and we have hit a new high note with this one!”
Holy Diver is set for release in the summer of 2021, and will be available as a standard edition, along with a limited deluxe edition which will include an exclusive vinyl edition of the classic album.
