New Kiss Comic Book To Be Released

Bravewords reports that KISS will be featured in a new ongoing series from IDW Publishing, beginning in June. The latest incarnation of KISS in comics will be written in alternating arcs by IDW Chief Creative Officer and Editor-In-Chief Chris Ryall and Tom Waltz, with Jamal Igle and Casey Maloney switching off on art.

According to a press release: "The series will take a superhero approach to the costumed personas adopted by the original KISS lineup of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, with humans throughout history accepting the power of the Kiss talismans. The band has made multiple comic book appearances since its formation in 1973, first in a series from Marvel Comics and most recently in a four-issue arc in the pages of "Archie." Comic Book Resources caught up with Ryall, who is writing the first arc of the new KISS series, about IDW's plans for the iconic rockers.” 

Ryall told CBR News: "Kiss was one of the first bands I ever listened to. I had an older brother and we had to share a room, so as the younger brother I had no say over the music we listened to or what comics I was allowed to read. In fact, in that regard, I was only allowed to collect things he didn't buy. He called dibs on Spider-Man, so I was given things he didn't care about like Fantastic Four. It was a total monarchy in that bedroom, and every night we'd listen to KISS, all growing up, all throughout my childhood. So I got into it early on - the stuff you listen to every day, the stuff your brother likes you somehow want to like, too. 

"I was all into it, too, the KISS magazines he had and the KISS Meets Phantom Of The Park' movie that aired on TV, and from there all the action figures, and it all just went on from there." 

Ryall further commented: "It's funny, we first approached Gene about KISS comics a few years back, and that was when they had made the deal with Platinum - it was before it was announced, but it was too late for us to get on board. That's when we partnered with him to do the Simmons comics line, but we always had it in the back of our heads that the thing we wanted to do was KISS comics, too. And nobody had ever really collected the old KISS stuff, so those old Marvel magazines were really hard to find, and when they were collected they were only ever put out in that giant KISS Compendium book, but they've never been out in trade paperback. So over the years, partnering with Gene, we kept talking with him about that, and when Platinum went... the way they went, we started having that conversation with KISS again." 

The first story entitled Dressed to Kill, is based loosely on the 1975 album of the same name, and subsequent arcs will follow suit with other classic Kiss albums.

(Bravewords)