GRAMMY-nominated, 12x Platinum rock band Skillet is releasing their highly awaited album VICTORIOUS next week, but in partnership with Z2 Comics, Skillet is also releasing their first ever graphic novel, EDEN on August 27th.
Lead Singer John Cooper tells us here about his love for super heroes, how comics were such an influential part of his childhood and thus why the opportunity for Skillet to help create their own graphic novel is a dream come true:
“I fell in love with super heroes before I could ride a bike. My best friend and I used to dress up in our underoos (for those who were born after the 80’s, underoos were super hero styled underwear). I would run around the neighborhood in nothing but my underoos and my Batman cape that my mom hand-made for me. Something about being powerful and virtuous-and apparently colorful-made me feel like I could change the world around me.
It wasn’t until I was about 10 years old that I fell in love with comics. Like most things in my childhood, I was influenced by my older brother who would religiously go to the comic shop and buy books. I wanted to be like him of course. I also should mention the fact that In the mid 80’s, it was not “cool” to be in to comics. If you were a comic nerd, you had to love it enough to pay the price on your social status. I have always believed that if you were proud of who you are then you shouldn’t be ashamed of what you love. And with my mom in the hospital battling cancer, I had bigger problems in my life than other people’s opinions. I needed an escape. I needed a place to feel powerful.
Like the world could be made right again. Where good wins.
All the hours reading and drawing comics provided a small measure of hope in my life.
When I got a call asking if I’d be interested in discussing a possible graphic novel, I jumped at the chance. This was a bucket list item for me! I wrote a concept and some themes that I would want to say—and we were off to the races. Meeting with writers and artists was nothing short of thrilling for this comic nerd.
Since that original conversation, to what the book has now become, I have fallen in love with the world of Eden. This book has the same DNA as my music. It’s exciting and theatrical, with a tinge of the supernatural. But mainly, behind it all, there is a feeling that is hard to put into words-some fans call it hope, or love, or community. I just say that Eden, like our music, has a feeling like you’ve heard this song before, but it was so long ago that you just cannot remember the words. But as it continues to play,
you find yourself singing along. And the song you are singing feels like home.”
