Heavy Metal Entertainment has announced The Axe, a new serialized story that will debut in Heavy Metal Magazine next year. The story, which will debut in the magazine before being released as a miniseries and a collected edition, is written by musician Joe Trohman, guitarist of Fallout Boy and The Damned Things, and actor/comedian Brian Posehn, illustrated by Scott Koblish, colored by Diego Fichera, and edited by Morgan Rosenblum. No letterer was named in the announcement.
Here’s how Heavy Metal describes The Axe:
A horror-comedy adventure, The Axe follows three nerdy, skatepunk, metalhead teens that, upon stealing an old, cursed guitar, open a portal to an interdimensional hell-scape, Sheol. Thus, the kids fall into a world where they must fend-off hideous ancient creatures—that would very much like to kill and eat them—while trying to get back to Earth. Imagine Army of Darkness meets The Goonies.
The Axe, which made its debut in an episode of Heavy Metal’s WonderWerk podcast written by Trohman, is also being developed for a screen adaptation. The series is the latest collaboration between Trohman, Posehn, and Koblish, who also contributed a story to Z2 Comics’s Anthrax: Among the Living anthology graphic novel.
In a statement announcing the series, Posehn and Trohman praised their collaborators – and each other:
“It’s been a breeze working with Scott Koblish. He was the obvious guy to draw this and he’s killing it. Joe is my pal and even though there is a big age difference we share a brain and it’s nothing but fun to throw around ideas and make each other laugh. Our colorist Diego Fichera is turning our f***** up little book into a thing of beauty. Every page pops.” — Brian Posehn
“Brian is one of my best friends and we write a lot together. He’s incredible: his stand-up, his writing, his face, his height. Plus, he’s got a special brain. I knew I wanted him to write The Axe with me. And then with Heavy Metal, working with Matthew Medney and Morgan Rosenblum has been the ultimate pleasure. They are smart as hell and really easy to work with. Couldn’t have a better crew on this.” — Joe Trohman
Look for The Axe to premiere in Heavy Metal Magazine in early 2022.