Gorillaz announce comic book to celebrate 20-year visual history

Gorillaz have announced the Gorillaz Almanac, a new comic book published in partnership  Z2 Comics. The book is set to commemorate the bands 20-year visual history.

Gorillaz Almanac will feature 120 full-colour pages, embellished with original artwork from over the years by Jamie Hewlett. The hardcover book will also feature new artwork, the first-ever comic strip starring members 2D, Noodle, Murdoc Niccals and Russel Hobbs, and  “puzzles, games and a raft of special guest appearances from Gorillaz collaborators past and present.”

“Every fan of comics and animation has dreamed of seeing the Gorillaz make their comic book debut, with the Z2 team chief among them,” Z2 publisher Josh Frankel shared in a statement. “The artwork, the music, and the mythos all add up to what is destined to be one of our most buzzed about releases in history, and when fans see just what we have planned, I know everyone will agree it was well worth the wait.”

Gorillaz Almanac will arrive on October 16th and will be available in standard, Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions. The standard edition ($24.99) will arrive with music from Season One of Song Machine and a hardcover copy of the comic book.

The Deluxe Editio($99.99) is oversized and slip cased and will come with court art prints and a sticker sheet signed by Murdoc, Russel, Noodle and 2D “in that order and at Murdoc’s request, he is very persuasive.”

The Super Deluxe Edition ($199.99), has unfortunately already sold out and arrives with a special art piece signed by Jamie Hewlett, a hardcover copy of the book and the music from Season One of Song Machine.

“An almanac is an annual book that is a treasure house of useful information like weather forecasts, trivia and puzzles and games,” Z2 Comics’ Sridhar Reddy shared via Rolling Stone. 

\“They used to sell almanacs at school book fairs, but I’m pretty sure the internet killed the concept of collecting information into a single published volume. It’s what I love about doing a Gorillaz almanac, in that it brings together so much of the ephemera of the band into a physical book that you can kick back with, take a fun deep dive and listen to great music while you’re doing it. It’s consistent with the band’s ethos of immersion.”

This marks the second almanac produced by Hewlett — who previously released one for his cult comic book series Tank Girl in the mid-90s.

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