Ronnie James Dio lives in comic form! Z2 comics unveiled their 2021 lineup, and one of the featured releases will be a Holy Diver graphic novel.
Acclaimed writer Steve Niles will tell the story of the events that lead to the "powerful moment" on the iconic cover of Holy Diver. According to the press release "Why is the priest being thrown into the ocean? Who is truly the villain in this scenario? All of these questions are exclusively answered for the first time within the pages of this 120-page graphic novel."
Wendy Dio, Ronnie's widow, is quoted as saying “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. 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!”
Two editions are available for preorder now; both the standard graphic novel, as well as a limited deluxe edition, the full details of which will be revealed within the coming weeks. Pre-order Dio: Holy Diver here.
