Friday, July 17, 2020

Beethoven Graphic Novel in the Works

Graeme McMillan 


© David Mack/Z2 Comics

Z2 Comics is continuing its line of music-themed graphic novel releases with a brand new project spotlighting one of the most acclaimed musicians and composers of all time, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal. Following books showcasing artists as diverse as Poppy, The Grateful Dead, and Charlie Parker, this November will see the release of Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology.

Produced in association with Universal Music Group, the graphic novel will retell Ludwig van Beethoven’s life story with a number of “world class artists” celebrating the main events with all-new illustrations, as per the publisher. The book will be released with an accompanying compilation of Beethoven’s music by Z2 and Deutsche Grammophon a month ahead of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in December.

“As one of the longest-standing record labels, Deutsche Grammophon has been celebrating Beethoven’s 250th anniversary this year with a number of projects, including the most comprehensive New Complete Edition of Beethoven’s Works ever issued and wonderful new releases with stars like Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniel Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma and Rudolf Buchbinder,” said Deutsche Grammophon VP of marketing Kleopatra Sofrioniou in a statement. “We are delighted to be encouraging the dialogue between the visual arts and classical music and hope that this exciting new project will open doors for comic book fans to discover the magic of Beethoven’s music.”

“Beethoven wrote some of the most universally recognizable pieces of music in the history of the planet,” added Z2 publisher Josh Frankel. “It is of course, incredibly exciting to publish the work of some of today’s well-known artists, but to have this chance to tell comic book stories from and inspired by the life of one of the most legendary artists of all time is humbling. We have done our very best to honor this by putting together what we believe will be an essential read for music lovers of all ages.”

Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology will be written by Brandon Montclare (Marvel’s Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, Image Comics’ Rocket Girl), with David Mack (Cover, Daredevil) providing painted cover artwork, as seen above. The line-up of artists illustrating the book will be revealed at a later date.

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