Friday, July 22nd 2011
News: Tom Morello
Tom Morello Debuts ‘Orchid’ Comic Series
Yesterday’s Comic-Con adventure in San Diego saw the unveiling of Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello’s Orchid, a new 12-part comic series which tells the tale of a 16-year old prostitute (think part Suicide Girl, part Joan of Arc) living in a dystopian future.
Morello’s debut comic series is infused with the outspoken activist musician’s class-conscious worldview and the politics of street terrorism. As he describes it himself, “It’s like Lord of the Rings meets Battle of Algiers…I wanted to craft a story that has the same visceral impact and political clout as the music I’ve been involved in.”
Speaking to io9.com, Morello explained his own involvement, as well as the musical accompaniment to each issue: “I am the creator and writer of this, it’s not farmed out,” he explained. “Each issue will contain a musical score as well. You get free music with each issue that comes out that will be a complete and comprehensive score by the end of the arc. In the graphic novel medium, you can be completely uncompromising in content. I’m wholly invested in this, I want this to go toe-to-toe with my work with Rage and The Nightwatchmen.”
Shepard Fairey did the cover you see above, and interior art was done by Scott Hepburn (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The first issue will see a release on Oct. 12.
The storyline is pure geek overdose: “When the seas rose, genetic codes were smashed. Human settlements are now ringed by a dense wilderness from which ferocious new animal species prey on the helpless. The high ground belongs to the rich and powerful that overlook swampland shantytowns from their fortress-like cities. Iron-fisted rule ensures order and allows the wealthy to harvest the poor as slaves. This is the world of Orchid.”
Watch Dark Horse Comics’ San Diego Comic-Con teaser trailer below:
