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The iconic heavy metal band Iron Maiden have been rocking audiences for almost 50 years now. As their fourth album Piece of Mind turns 40 this year, the group is releasing a lavish new commemorative book in collaboration with publishers Z2. As well as never before seen photos and art from the era, the book also contains nine new comic stories created by a host of writers and artists, including one written by frontman Bruce Dickinson.
We've got an exclusive sneak preview of one of the new tales below, but first here's the impressive full list of creators involved with the project.
- Where Eagles Dare by writer Steven Grant and artist Carson Thorn
- Revelations by Bruce Dickinson with Tony Lee and artist Damien Worm
- Flight of Icarus by writer Ivan Brandon and artist Francesco Dossena
- Die With Your Boots On by writer Sacha Gervasi and artist Christian Rosado
- The Trooper by writer Antony Johnston and artist Staz Johnson
- Still Life by writers Leah Moore and John Reppion, and artist John Pearson
- Quest for Fire by writer Brian Posehn and artist Michael Avon Oeming
- Sun and Steel by writer Chris Roberson and artist Danijel Žeželj
- To Tame a Land by writer and artist Alison Sampson
You can check out several pages from Still Life in the gallery below.
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"When the idea of a Piece of Mind 40th Anniversary graphic novel first came up, I felt it was the perfect medium to expand outside the confines of the songs and to create new storylines and new dimensions through short form narrative and imagery," said vocalist Bruce Dickinson. "With Revelations, it allowed me to add more layers and dimensions to the lyrics and add a new twist."
"Equally as exciting was bringing together some of the top writers and illustrators in the industry who are all actual fans of the band, to add their own creative ideas inspired by the songs, Eddie, and the album itself," Dickinson continued. "Z2 did a tremendous job in pulling this all together to create more than just a graphic novel, it's what I consider a work of art."
The book is available in a plethora of different editions for fans and collectors, with prices starting at $40/£32.55 and stretching all the way up to $300/£244.13. Here's the full, exhaustive list.
- Standard Edition hardcover with cover art by Dan Mumford (as seen above)
- Flight of Icarus Edition hardcover with cover art by Martin Simmonds. Limited to 3000 copies and exclusive to indie comic shops
- Trooper Edition hardcover with cover art by J.G. Jones. Limited to 500 copies and exclusive to Project M/Revolver Magazine
- Trooper Cutaway Edition hardcover with cover art by Travis Knight. Limited to 666 copies and exclusive to Rockabilia.com
- Deluxe Edition that includes an oversized hardback with bonus pages and a pop-up insert, with cover art by Jason Edmiston. This comes encased in a clamshell box and with three art prints by Hydro 74 and is exclusive to the Z2 website.
- Finally, The Asylum Edition comprises everything in the Deluxe Edition, plus a replica Piece of Mind concert ticket, a Die With Your Boots On art print that's been signed and numbered by Dan Mumford (the first 500 orders only), four Iron Maiden collectors cards in a display case, and an Eddie Asylum Model Kit, which will be shipped separately.
Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind is published by Z2 on November 21.
Iron Maiden aren't the only rockers to write comics. Vault recently launched Headshell, a new imprint dedicated to graphic novels by musicians. You can read more about that here.
