Globe-trotting DJ Paul Oakenfold took a break from spinning hits to collaborate on a graphic novel loosing following his ascension to the top of the charts, entitled The Wonderful World of Perfecto: With Paul Oakenfold and Friends. Publishers Z2 Comics gathered together four different artists–Tyler Boss, Chris Hunt, Ian McGinty and Koren Shadmi–who will each illustrate a separate chapter of Oakenfold’s rise to world-wide prominence. To make the project even more special, the artist and friends have created an exclusive soundtrack for the graphic novel, which will be distributed in both physical copies and digital downloads.
The project celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the trip to Ibiza that inspired Oakenfold to find his way to the DJ booth. He would go on to help shape what is considered “modern club culture” with his take on mixing records and found his genre leading label, Perfecto Records. “I am honored and excited to be a part of the first electronic music graphic novel,” said Oakenfold in a statement. “Being a fan of comic books for many years, I enjoyed telling my story in this context which shows things in a different light.”
This is just the first in what Z2 Comics hopes to be a series of collaborations with artists on both the graphic and musical ends of the spectrum. This month sees their newest release, Murder Ballads, (written by Gabe Soria, with art by Paul Reinwand and Chris Hunt), which follows the owner of a failed record label and the two bluesmen who give him a chance to return to glory. The graphic novel will include a soundtrack by The Black Keys.
“We think bringing together music and graphic novels can be the secret sauce of Z2 Comics,” Josh Frankel, co-publisher at Z2, said. “Our goal is to work closely with musicians and graphic novel creators to create a unique experience, where the music informs the narrative of the graphic novel and vice versa.”
The Wonderful World of Perfecto: With Paul Oakenfold and Friends is scheduled to release on Nov. 21 and will retail for $24.99. You can pre-order it here.
Information for this story comes from ComicBookResources.com among other sources.
