The legendary hard rock band Halestorm has drummed up new content in the form of a graphic novel, which they debuted at New York Comic Con over the weekend, much to the delight of fans.
With an over quarter-century career and non-stop touring, Halestorm is still keeping things fresh with yet another heavy metal hit — this time in a whole new format. Opening their doors to an even wider fanbase thanks to a partnership with Z2, an independent publisher of graphic novels, this fresh venture saw the rock group stop by Comic Con to meet fans and sign their new graphic novel, “Hyde Manor,” which celebrates the 10th anniversary of their EP “Hello, It’s Mz Hyde” and the album “The Strange Case of…”
For the first time, members Lzzy Hale, lead vocalist and guitarist, her brother and drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bassist Josh Smith attended Comic Con and saw a different side of their fans.
“I think it’s amazing. We saw this a little bit yesterday during the signings. This is definitely our demographic that we ended up seeing in our shows anyway, so it’s kind of like great to see them in their natural habitat here, versus coming to our show,” Lzzy Hale said. “It’s the same as in our business on stage as it is here. Everyone’s kind of together, finding a space where we all can belong, and be as weird as we want to. Arejay blends in perfectly finally for the first time.”
“The crowd here does remind us of the crowd at our live shows…just slightly more Pikachu costumes,” Arejay Hale joked.
In order to compose an accurate sketch of the band, twins Brittany and Brianna Winner — the weavers of the dark tale — delved into the group’s memories, while artist Sara Scalia researched Halestorm staples, like Hottinger’s use of green guitars and his penchant for carrying a camera. The experience in piecing together the puzzle for the graphic novel became exciting and, after reading the drafts, the band found the look-back on their career to be shockingly accurate. For Lzzy Hale, it gave them an opportunity to really appreciate how lucky they were during a time that felt so chaotic.
“It was a lot of fun because there’s a lot of humor in what goes into us because that’s who we are: Rock and roll with a smile. And the scarier thing is that there’s a little bit of truth and a lot of it is in the story,” Lzzy Hale said. “You’re just kind of scrambling and then when you look back, it looks like this finely crafted novel. That was all meant to be. You’ve been blinders on go, go, go for so long, and you’re looking back like, wow, that could have gone so easily the other way. We could have stayed in Pennsylvania, and just had normal lives.”
“It really captured who we are and how they sort of packaged our songs and our ideas all together,” Josh Smith added.
“Hyde Manor,” featuring cover artist Alison Sampson and colorist DJ Alonso, depicts a dreary Oregon estate. There, the Halestorm rockstars face sinister doppelgängers of themselves as they attempt to record a new album and slowly slip into madness.
“That’s what I love about this story — that humor but with heart and a smile,” Lzzy Hale said.
The members of Halestorm attribute their success to their fans who have backed them since the group first formed in 1997. Together, these rockstars have made Billboard charts with their metal sound, hauntingly fierce and melodic vocals from Lzzy Hale and entrancing dark music, earning numerous accolades included Grammy Awards and nominations.
With “Hyde Manor” released, Halestorm is gearing up for a tour in Germany and working on a new album.
