Z2 Comics
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Josh Frankel |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Number of employees | 30 (2022) |
| Website | www |
Z2 Comics is a U.S.-based publisher that focuses on graphic novels, comic books, and merchandise tied to popular culture. The company is particularly recognized for its collaborations with musicians and music-related projects. Utilizing a data-centric business approach, Z2 identifies artists with substantial fan bases across various genres and teams up with comic creators to develop related content.
Zip Comics
Established in 2010 by entrepreneur Josh Frankel with financial support from investors, the company initially operated under the name Zip Comics. Early releases featured Frankel’s own work, The Schizophrenic, illustrated by Toby Cypress, along with Harvey Pekar's Cleveland, a nonfiction graphic novel co-published with Top Shelf Productions and published after Pekar’s passing.
Transition to Z2 Comics
The company rebranded as Z2 Comics in 2014, debuting with graphic novel collections from alternative comics artists Dean Haspiel and Paul Pope. From 2015 to 2016, Z2 broadened its offerings by adding more graphic novels and limited comic series.
To increase its market presence and diversify income sources, Frankel joined forces with filmmaker Sridhar Reddy in 2015 to launch Modern Prometheus, a branch dedicated to adapting comics for film and television. Initial projects included Ian McGinty’s Welcome to Showside, aimed at expanding into multiple media formats and fostering business development.
Focus on music collaborations
Starting in 2016, Z2 Comics began partnering with musicians to produce graphic novels that combined original storytelling with exclusive music. Among the first releases in 2017 were The Wonderful World of Perfecto: With Paul Oakenfold and Friends and Murder Ballads, which featured an original soundtrack by Dan Auerbach and Robert Finley. The 2018 title Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal emerged as one of the publisher’s top-selling works.
Z2’s Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes, The Graphic Album earned three Eisner Award nominations in 2023 for Best Short Story, Best Anthology, and Best Adaptation from Another Medium.
In late 2022, founder Josh Frankel stepped down from his role and later joined IDW Publishing. At that point, Z2 had grown from a small team of three to a workforce of 30 employees, illustrating notable expansion and shifts in leadership strategy.
Overview
Z2 Comics specializes in licensed collaborations with musicians, working alongside artists such as Gorillaz, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), DJ Paul Oakenfold, Tori Amos, John Cooper (Skillet), Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), Jimmy Eat World, Machine Gun Kelly, Yungblud, Oliver Tree, and BABYMETAL.
Several graphic novels are released alongside original soundtracks created by the featured musicians. Examples include Murder Ballads (Dan Auerbach and Robert Finley, 2017), Genesis 1 (Poppy, 2019), Chasin' the Bird: A Charlie Parker Graphic Novel (2020; deluxe edition included previously unreleased Parker vinyl tracks), This is Where We Fall (Mitski, 2021), and Superstate (Graham Coxon, 2022).
Other projects transform iconic albums into comic anthologies, such as Anthrax: Among the Living (2021), The Doors: Morrison Hotel (2021), Machine Gun Kelly's Hotel Diablo (2021), Little Earthquakes, The Graphic Album (Tori Amos, 2022), Blondie: Against the Odds (2022), King Diamond's Abigail (2022), Joan Jett & the Blackhearts 40x40: Bad Reputation / I Love Rock-n-Roll (2022), and Paul Kantner's Jefferson Starship album Blows Against the Empire (2022), which was accompanied by a limited edition colored vinyl LP. In 2023, Z2 published The Illustrated Al: The Songs of "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Distribution occurs through conventional book and graphic novel retailers as well as a robust direct-to-consumer platform via the company website. Many titles are available in both standard and deluxe editions to maximize market reach.
Comic Series
- Free Comic Book Day:
- — featuring works from Tyler Boss, Jarrett Williams, Ian McGinty, Chris Hunt, Alexis Ziritt, Michael Moreci, Matt Battaglia, Miss Lasko-Gross, and Kevin Colden
- — series owned and created by the author
Graphic Novels (General)
- — jointly published with Top Shelf Productions
- — re-release of a self-published 1999 title
- — initially a webcomic; loosely inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit
Selected Music-Related Publications
- Sound and Fury (2021) — artwork by Takashi Okazaki, Vasilis Lolos, Rosi Kampe, Rufus Dayglo, Josan González
- Jimmy Eat World: 555 (2021) — illustrated by Koren Shadmi
- Ghost of Ohio (2019) by Andy Biersack — art by Scott Tuft
- Sublime: $5 at the Door (2021) — illustrated by Audrey Mok, Logan Faerber, Hayden Sherman, Alex Diotto, Bill Masuku, Robert Ahmad, Julianne Griepp
- Chasin' the Bird: A Charlie Parker Graphic Novel (2020) — special edition including vinyl records with unreleased tracks
- Eden: A Skillet Graphic Novel (2019) and Eden II: The Aftermath (2020) by John Cooper — art by Chris Hunt
- Superstate (2022) by Graham Coxon — features 15 stories accompanied by an original soundtrack of new songs
- Gorillaz Almanac (2020)
- Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes, The Graphic Album (2022) — comprises 24 narratives inspired by the album and its B-sides; contributors include Tori Amos, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood
- Jefferson Starship: Blows Against the Empire (2022) — deluxe editions feature limited edition colored vinyl LPs
- Machine Gun Kelly's Hotel Diablo (2021) — illustrated by Martin Morazzo and others
- Run the Dungeon (2021) — a collaboration with Self Defense Family; art by Goran Gligovic
- He's Not Gonna Take It (2023) by Dee Snider — illustrated by Steve Kurth
- Grateful Dead Origins (2020) — artwork by Noah Van Sciver
- This is Where We Fall (2021) by Chris Miskiewicz — a sci-fi western graphic novel with a soundtrack composed by Mitski
- Elvis: The Graphic Novel (2021) — illustrated by Michael Shelfer
- The Doors: Morrison Hotel (2021) — edited by Leah Moore
- Joan Jett & The Blackhearts 40x40: Bad Reputation / I Love Rock-n-Roll (2022) — commemorates 40 years with stories crafted by female writers and artists
- The Wonderful World of Perfecto: With Paul Oakenfold and Friends (2017) — artwork contributed by Chris Hunt, Tyler Boss, Ian McGinty, Koren Shadmi
- Yungblud Presents the Twisted Tales of the Ritalin Club series (2019–2020) — illustrated by various artists
- Blondie: Against the Odds (2022) — contributors include Howard A. Rodman, David Barnett, Richard Kadrey, J. H. Williams III
- Genesis 1 (2019) by Poppy and Titanic Sinclair — released alongside the ambient album I C U: Music to Read To
- Apocrypha: The Legend Of BABYMETAL (2018) — illustrated by GMB Chomichuk
- Anthrax: Among the Living (2021) — marks the 40th anniversary with contributions from Corey Taylor, Grant Morrison, Rob Zombie, Jimmy Palmiotti among others
- Murder Ballads (2017) — art by Paul Reinwand and Chris Hunt; soundtrack produced by Dan Auerbach and Robert Finley
- Oliver Tree vs Little Ricky: ALIEN BOYS (2021) — illustrated by Orpheus Collar
- Abigail (2022) — art by Damien Worm; collaboration with heavy metal icon King Diamond
- The Illustrated Al: The Songs of "Weird Al" Yankovic (2023) — comic adaptations of twenty songs selected and interpreted by various artists chosen by Yankovic
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- 2010 establishments in New York City
- American companies founded in 2010
- Book publishers located in New York (state)
- Comic book publishers in the United States
- Businesses headquartered in New York City
- Comics inspired by musical bands
- Cultural portrayals of rock artists
- Publishing firms founded in 2010
- American companies established in 2010
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
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