Z2 Comics has teamed up with the Dio estate for the release of a graphic novel adaptation of the album Holy Diver. Horror comic writer Steve Niles is on deck to create an original storyline inspired by Holy Diver album cover. Just why is a priest being thrown in the ocean? Who is the real bad guy? What is happening in that iconic cover? This 120 page comic is going to have some answers.
“Steve Niles tells the story behind the Album cover ‘Holy Diver,’ a story about how you can’t judge a picture by the way it appears, which is what Ronnie wrote many times in his songs; that you have to see inside the person and not judge them by the way they look or by what they wear” says Wendy Dio-Padavona. “Together with Scott Hampton’s amazing artwork they tell the story of ‘Holy Diver,’and I know Ronnie would have given his stamp of approval on this great graphic novel.”“We have managed to work with some of the greatest legends in both comics and music, and a Dio graphic novel with a cover by the great Bill Sienkiewicz perhaps sums that up best,” says Z2 publisher Josh Frankel. “This is one of the most iconic heavy metal album covers in history. We are honored to pay tribute to the originator of the universal sign of the music that he has inspired since he first took the stage with Black Sabbath 40 years ago. Working with Wendy Dio directly to ensure it is true to his vision is the next best thing to working with Ronnie James Dio himself, and we have hit a new high note with this one!”
In reverence, Steve Niles says “I’m so excited to be writing this book. I hope I do Ronnie James Dio justice.”
