Heavy Metal Entertainment has announced the launch of a new five-part comics series called Dark Messiah for July release. The new series will be published under Heavy Metal Entertainment and Incendium’s OPUS imprint with a story by Incendium CEO Llexi Leon and Heavy Metal Magazine Editor in Chief Tim Seeley with script by Seeley and art by Ángel Hernández and covers by Ryan Christensen.
So what’s Dark Messiah about?
Dark Messiah takes place in the not so distant future, as firefighter Griffin DeSanto finds himself a man out of time, stumbling into a harsh world of poverty, automation, and subjugation. Technology rules and a tech empire built on suffering keeps the population in check through surveillance and mechanized policing. Though lost, Griffin is never alone. He was brought here for a reason, and The Vengeful One is his guide.
“Ever since ‘The Guy’ made his debut 20 years ago his evolution and transformation has only grown. We are excited to take ‘The Guy’ to the next level and bring his story to the forefront via both the comic book series and action figures. We can’t wait to share this next chapter with all of you,” the band Disturbed said in a statement about their Dark Messiah series.
Seeley, added: “The guys in Disturbed have a lot of the same influences I do…horror movies, 90s superhero comics, punk music, and an interest in humanity and the fight against oppression. So, we’ve teamed up to give a story to ‘The Guy’, and it’s going to be a savage horror epic about heroism, hope and a whole lot of teeth and chains.”
You can watch ‘The Guy’ fight a demon in the music video below.
Check out a preview below of Dark Messiah #1. Also check out the Disturbed ‘The Guy’ Figbiz Action Figure variant cover by Incendium.
For more on this news, read the official press release below.
FOR RELEASE: April 26, 2021
DISTURBED, INCENDIUM, AND HEAVY METAL ENTERTAINMENT
TEAM UP FOR ‘DARK MESSIAH’ COMIC BOOK SERIES
Disturbed’s immortal mascot “The Guy” makes his comic book debut in
new series published under Heavy Metal Entertainment and Incendium’s
OPUS imprint.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Disturbed, Incendium, and Heavy Metal Entertainment announce the
launch of Dark Messiah, a five-part comic book series. Published under Heavy Metal
Entertainment and Incendium’s music-focused OPUS imprint, the story was conceptualized
by Incendium CEO Llexi Leon and Tim Seeley (Nightwing, Hack/Slash) and written by
Seeley, with illustrations by Ángel Hernández (Arrow, Star Trek), and cover artwork by Ryan
Christensen.
Dark Messiah takes place in the not so distant future, as firefighter Griffin DeSanto finds
himself a man out of time, stumbling into a harsh world of poverty, automation, and
subjugation. Technology rules and a tech empire built on suffering keeps the population in
check through surveillance and mechanized policing. Though lost, Griffin is never alone. He
was brought here for a reason, and The Vengeful One is his guide.
The iconic character and beloved mascot “The Guy” has been the faceless “face” of
Disturbed for over 20 years. This will be the first dive into The Guy’s power’s, history and
lore, as we see him as The Vengeful One. “The Guy” has been featured in multiple Disturbed
music videos, including starring in Todd McFarlane’s Disturbed: Land of Confusion
animated music video, and in cover artwork for the band. The Guy’s origin was in album
artwork for Disturbed’s 2000’s The Sickness, shown as a creepy smile with big teeth. After
that, his first full-blown appearance was in the album artwork for Ten Thousand Fists, where
he was shown as a character with the same creepy, smiling face, cloaked by a hood, with an
outfit made up of torn cloak and multiple chains, pumping his fist into the sky.
“Ever since ‘The Guy’ made his debut 20 years ago his evolution and transformation has only
grown. We are excited to take ‘The Guy’ to the next level and bring his story to the forefront
via both the comic book series and action figures. We can’t wait to share this next chapter
with all of you,” the band Disturbed said in a statement about their Dark Messiah series.
Writer Tim Seeley, who is also the editor-in-chief of Heavy Metal Magazine, added: “the
guys in Disturbed have a lot of the same influences I do…horror movies, 90s superhero
comics, punk music, and an interest in humanity and the fight against oppression. So, we’ve
teamed up to give a story to ‘The Guy’, and it’s going to be a savage horror epic about
heroism, hope and a whole lot of teeth and chains.”
Dark Messiah begins as a 5-issue comic series; the first print edition of each issue will be
released as a prestige-format limited edition collectible comic book, featuring cardstock
covers, specialty foil treatments, glossy pages, and individual numbering. Disturbed’s Dark
Messiah will extend beyond the printed page into toys, apparel, and collectibles, including an
action figure of “The Guy”.
“Disturbed’s powerhouse of a mascot was destined for comics and we’re thrilled to be
developing the dystopian world of their immortal anti-hero, exploring the roots of his power,
and digging into the rich history that’s been teased to date through the bands iconic album
artwork and music videos. With flames and chains in abundance, ‘The Guy’ action figure was
also a must have, so we’re realizing that out of the gate alongside issue one!” said Llexi
Leon, CEO Incendium.
Added Heavy Metal Entertainment CEO Matthew Medney: “A legendary band such as
Disturbed needs no introduction and we’re excited to have them join the ranks alongside other
premier bands and musicians, like Evanescence, Joe Satriani, and Cradle of Filth, as part of
Heavy Metal’s OPUS line of music comics. Llexi has masterfully curated a slate of projects
that will not only stand the test of time, but are, in their most basic form, a true representation
of Heavy Metal at its core.”
The first printing of each Dark Messiah issue will be limited to 3000 copies at the devilish
price of $16.66, and available to order from https://incendium.online/collections/disturbed.
The first issue is available to order now and ships July 2021. “The Guy” action figure is also
available to pre-order for $29.95, shipping October 2021.
Dark Messiah credits:
Cover Artwork by Ryan Christensen
Interior Artwork by Angel Hernandez
Story by Llexi Leon & Tim Seeley
Written by Tim Seeley
Disturbed ‘The Guy’ Figbiz Action Figure by Incendium
About Disturbed:
Simply put, DISTURBED are one of the most successful rock bands in modern history.
The multiplatinum-selling quartet accomplished have released 7 studio albums (their most
recent the 2018 album Evolution) and achieved the rare feat of five consecutive number one
debuts on the Billboard Top 200. That accolade historically elevated them to rarified air
alongside Metallica, the only other hard rock group to do so in the history of the
chart. Immortalized (2015) received a platinum certification and spawned the triple-platinum
crossover smash “The Sound of Silence,” which garnered a nomination at the 2017
GRAMMY® Awards in the category of “Best Rock Performance.” Since their formation in
1996, the band has sold 16 million albums globally and scored twelve No. 1 singles at Active
Rock Radio. Their quadruple-platinum 2000 debut, The Sickness, formally announced their
arrival as hard rock leaders, with that status solidified by subsequent GRAMMY® Award
nominations as well as gold-, platinum- and double platinum-certified records, as well as
countless sold-out shows around the globe. Named “Best Rock Artist” during the 2017 and
2020 iHeartRadioMusic Awards.
About Tim Seeley (writer):
Tim Seeley is one of those “slash” people…a writer-slash-artist. He has drawn a number of
different comic book series including G.I Joe, Halloween, Wildcats, and Ant-Man & Wasp.
His writing work include Nightwing, Money Shot , Injustice vs. Masters Of The Universe, the
critically acclaimed Revival, and The NY Times bestselling Hack/Slash. He resides in
Chicago, Illinois with his wife, daughter and 80s action figure collection. Seeley also is the
editor-in-chief of Heavy Metal Magazine.
About Ángel Hernández (artist):
Ángel Hernández entered the world of professional comics in 2012, contributing to a number
of DC Comics series, such as Arrow, Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse, Flash, and
Earth 2: Society. Moreover, he also worked on the two crossovers produced by DC and IDW
Publishing, Green Lantern & Star Trek: Spectrum War (2016) and Stranger Worlds (2017),
leading to Ángel contributing multiple miniseries to the Star Trek comics franchise at IDW,
such as Manifest Destiny, Star Trek Discovery: Succession, Star Trek Discovery: Picard, Star
Trek The Next Generation: Terra Incognita, and Star Trek Discovery: Captain Saru. Beyond
Star Trek, the relaunch of the Transformers franchise and Transformers: War World, are his
latest projects.
About Incendium:
Founded in 2006 Incendium is a multi-faceted production company known for an array of
animation, comic books, toys, and video games. Driven by our team’s passion for Myths,
Monsters, and Metal the brand embraces 80s and 90s counterculture with a contemporary
twist.
Find us at www.incendium.online
On Facebook: @IncendiumOnline
On Twitter: @IncendiumOnline
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IncendiumOnline/
About Heavy Metal:
First published in 1977, Heavy Metal, the world’s foremost illustrated fantasy magazine,
explores fantastic and surrealistic worlds, alternate realities, science fiction and thriller, in the
past, present and future. Writers and illustrators from around the world take you to places you
never dreamed existed. Heavy Metal was the first magazine to bring European legends
Moebius, Tanino Libertore, Philippe Druillet, Enki Bilal, Pepe Moreno and Philippe Caza to
the U.S. as well as showcasing American superstars Richard Corben, Jim Steranko and
Bernie Wrightson. The magazine continues to showcase amazing new talent as well as allow
established creators to have “carte blanche”. Heavy Metal Magazine is now published 12
times per year. Most issues feature one or two serialized graphic novels, several short stories,
and two artist galleries. Recent featured creators include Grant Morrison, Stephen King, and
Bart Sears. With new CEO Matt Medney at the helm, Heavy Metal promises to boldly go
where no magazine has gone before. Explore ancient secrets, forgotten worlds and savage
futures…experience Heavy Metal. Join us at www.heavymetal.com.
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