Terror Joins The Tour In Dark Horse Comics’ New Horror Graphic Novel ‘Spinal Cord’
by Brendan M. Allen
Dark Horse Books wants to rock your world with Spinal Cord, a love letter to heavy metal and bone-chilling horror. Written by David Braña and illustrated by Pahito, the coming-of-age narrative arrives Fall 2024.
Members of heavy Metal band Spinal Cord (I can’t tell you how much it pains me to spell it C-O-R-D instead of C-H-O-R-D. One-ders. Heard-smen. Spinal CHORD.) have big dreams of making it big in the cutthroat music scene. When they’re selected to participate in a big-time touring competition, they jump at the chance. Unbeknownst to them, the horrors haunting the tour are very real, and the contest will challenge them in more arenas than just musical talent. It will alter their own perception of reality.
“The idea of Spinal Cord had been in my head for a long time,” said Braña. “I wanted to write about a music band trying to make its way in today’s complicated industry. Pahito and I both love metal music, so after talking, the creative sparks flew for Spinal Cord. It has been a pleasure to travel Route 666 in his company.
“We have paid a well-deserved tribute to the music and we have let ourselves be carried away on an adventure with different styles of horror, with characters who feel and suffer and who try to achieve their dreams, like most of us. Now I just hope readers enjoy this journey too!
“When David asked me, ‘Do you like heavy metal? Because I want you to draw a comic about a band facing zombies, vampires, and other monsters,’ I had to pause ‘Chaos A.D.’ by Sepultura, because I was so excited that I couldn’t listen to music and read at the same time,” added Pahito. “All the fantastical elements that I like the most come together in this project. Right away I began to develop a great affection for the protagonists, their stories, and their motivations. As every successful band needs a dynamic relationship between its members, a good story needs action, terror, heavy metal, and a lot of friendship.
Spinal Cord Volume 1 will be available for $24.99 in bookstores on September 10, 2024 and in comic shops September 11, 2024. It is now available to preorder.
