The 9th Century battle epic is brought to life by a team of industry titans and leans on the mythology of one of extreme music’s most dynamic bands.
Releasing one of the most anticipated and eventually celebrated albums of the year in heavy music, Amon Amarth’s The Great Heathen Army was received with universal acclaim. Propelled by the colossal impact of singles including “Find A Way Or Make One,” “Put Your Back Into the Oar,” and the album’s title track, metal music’s Viking overlords shined as craftsmen regarded as both contemporary and classic.
Now the band is launching a new iteration of their ‘Great Heathen Army’ epic with the announcement of their partnership with Z2 Comics. Leaping off the record and onto the page, Amon Amarth have introduced the graphic novel adaption of their opus of Viking lore. The Great Heathen Army graphic novel unites the band with writer Dan Watters (King Diamond’s Abigail, Lucifer), artist Ario Murti, and cover artists Montos (Death For Hire: The Origin of Tehk City) and Tom Thiel to bring their epic story arch to life.
“Heathens from shore to shore! We are thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Z2 to bring you The Great Heathen Army as a full-length graphic novel,” Amon Amarth explains. “It’s a brutal story of war, bloodshed, and glory during the time when the Viking raids brought terror to the shores of England. We’ve also produced an accompanying replica of The Great Heathen Army board game that you see in our music video of the album title track. We hope you enjoy it. Skål!”
The narrative of The Great Heathen Army graphic novel is set in the 9th-century as Viking warriors from Scandinavia storm England, wreaking unprecedented chaos. The war epic also depicts the human toll of such rampant warfare and grand scale destruction – a toll felt on both sides of the battle. The project also features a foreword from professional WWE Wrestling Hall of Famer and Viking devotee, Adam “Edge” Copeland.
“Raise your mead horns to Valhalla! Saxons beware because the mighty Amon Amarth is releasing a graphic novel!” Copeland shared. “Vikings. Metal. Comics. As Stan Lee (and maybe Odin?) would say…’nuff said!”
The Great Heathen Army writer Dan Watters revealed his enthusiasm in being able to explore the breadth of Amon Amarth’s mythology with such an ambitious project. “Getting to work with Amon Amarth on The Great Heathen Army means diving into myth, history, and heavy metal, which sounds like a perfect date night to me. Our aim with this book is to make the reader feel like they’re truly there, facing the terror of the invaders in that old world where monsters and gods lurk beneath every stone and in every bloodthirsty eye. And also to show some Vikings doing some terrible things with some very big axes.”
In addition to the release of the graphic novel, Amon Amarth will also launch the accompanying Great Heathen Army board game which will be available separately. The deck-building war game has players take on the role of the Vikings on the offensive or the Anglo-Saxons on the defensive; in a consuming gaming experience that nurtures strategy and patience.
The Great Heathen Army will be available in a standard hardcover and deluxe hardcover edition and is scheduled to land Fall 2023. The deluxe hardcover will come signed with art prints illustrated by Tom Thiel, a Silver Pennigar Viking Collector’s Coin, and a limited edition board game with an oversized battle map.
Pre-orders The Great Heathen Army graphic novel from Amon Amarth and Z2 Comics – HERE
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