Puerto Rican star Ozuna has partnered with Sumerian Comics to create a new graphic novel.
Details on the graphic novel’s themes are, for now, scant, although a press statement on the deal’s announcement claims that it will be an “action-thriller manga inspired by characters like James Bond and Xander ‘XXX’ Cage”.
It would also appear the production of the graphic novel is effectively a testing ground for it to potentially be developed into a movie or a TV series.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with such a unique, accomplished musical artist like Ozuna for this project,” said Ash Avildsen, the CEO of Sumerian Comics & Games. “What he has accomplished with his music is nothing short of globally spectacular and now we will see the power of his storytelling as we work alongside him to bring it to life. It’s definitely going to be meaningful and innovative work that denotes the beginning of a new frontier for Sumerian.”
There have been many acts – living and dead – who have created or appeared in graphic novels, including Yungblud, Tom Morello, Gerard Way, Tom DeLong, Babymetal, Courtney Love, Rob Zombie, Coldplay, Daniel Johnston, Johnny Cash, Avicii and Jeff Buckley.
What is most significant here is that it will be Sumerian’s first graphic novel project with a Latin artist.
“I love collaborating to take my creativity to new, interesting places,” said Ozuna in a statement about the deal. “I’m very excited to partner with the talented team at Sumerian and make something fresh, captivating, and fun for my fans and my culture.”
There is a growing interest in musicians using the medium. Last year, Method Man partnered with TuneGo on Tical World. It was described as “an interactive comic community, giving audiences the opportunity to offer creative direction, interact with characters, purchase NFT rights to ownership, and create new storylines”.
Sumerian Comics was founded in 2020 (initially as Behemoth Comics) and sold an estimated 500,000 comics in 2021, quickly establishing itself as the ninth biggest player in the market.
Those might appear relatively small numbers for the music business, but graphic novels are, if done well and done right, a powerful way to connect a musician with whole new audiences.
